May 2018

INSIDE THE ISSUE

opinion 54 opinion

a&e 9

feature 7

sports 15

the bull’s eye NEWS

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OPINION

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FEATURE

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MAY 23, 2018 VOLUME XXXVI, ISSUE IX ONLINE AT DBBULLSEYE.COM

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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SPORTS

Brahmas to embark on new journeys to East Coast DBHS seniors will head across the country to attend Ivy League schools. cindy liu feature editor AMELIE LEE

Barbara Shen taught students about Chinese culture along with language skills.

Retirement opens doors for Shen Veteran language teacher to leave DBHS, wishes to spend retirement years helping others. nia mitchell asst. business manager Beginning a new chapter in her life, Chinese teacher Barbara Shen will not be a Brahma for much longer.

Shen, who said she plans to retire at the end of this school year, has taught AP Chinese, Chinese 1 and Chinese 3 Honors as well as Regular at DBHS over the course of 17 years.

According to Shen, she feels that this point in her life is the best time for her to make this decision.

“Usually we think about retirement at the last two or three years, but sometimes to actually make the decision on when to retire is another story and I think that now it’s a right time for me,” Shen said.

Shen said she has enjoyed the opportunity to teach at DBHS. She said that she will most miss the joy of teaching, and getting to see her students grow up and graduate.

Sophomore Stephanie Shi, who had Shen for Chinese 1, said that she enjoyed Shen’s unique way of teaching Chinese culture and language.

“I really liked how she influenced us and taught us different things on the Chinese culture,” Shi said. “Her approach to teaching was the one of the things that I liked most about her and what

angela yang news editor Among this year’s graduating Brahmas are a handful of students who will be the first in their families to reach an unprecedented milestone. Seniors Krystal Diaz and Joseph Ortega will be moving on to attend college, something neither of their parents had done.

Growing up with a single parent, Diaz always harbored dreams of becoming a teacher. She will be attending Cal Poly Pomona in the fall to pursue her childhood aspiration.

“My goals are to do the best that I can in college and get a teaching credential and be able to teach elementary school,” Diaz said.

Diaz’s father immigrated to the United States from Central America in the midst of the Salvadoran

the admitted student weekends...I decided that Harvard had better accessibility of professors, and I think I fit in there more.”

During his high school career, Martinez was part of Mock Trial, captain of the Science Olympiad team and president of the debate club. Having been one of the 1,962 of 42,749 candidates accepted—a record low of 4.59 percent acceptance, the lowest of any Ivy League school this year—Martinez offers up advice for hopeful students applying for college next year.

“I’ve discovered that the number one factor is essays,” Martinez said. “Almost everyone has the grades, and almost everyone else has the extracurriculars. It really just comes down to the essays.”

Shi will travel to New York City

ivies ON P. 12

retirement ON P. 3

Brahmas start a new tradition A few DBHS students will be the first in their families to attend college.

While Ivy League schools often seem to be an out-of-reach possibility for many, at least 10 Diamond Bar High School seniors will be making their dreams a reality as they prepare to head to some of the nation’s most elite universities this fall.

Among the seniors who have recently committed to attending Ivy League level schools are Pablo Martinez and Matthew Ho to Harvard University; Ashley To to Princeton University; Hailey Shi and Jade Chen to Columbia Uni-

versity; Brian Chang and Joshua Yan to Yale University; Amy Xia to University of Pennsylvania and Emily Jacobsson and Derek Su to Cornell University.

Martinez, who plans to study theoretical physics, will be heading off to Cambridge, Massachusetts to attend Harvard.

“Being the top school in the nation, it has the best resources available,” Martinez said. “It has research opportunities, it has resources, it has faculty, it has good students, so it’s really the complete package.”

Martinez decided to attend Harvard despite receiving an early admittance to Yale, where he was initially leaning toward.

“When I visited in the summer, Yale was very sunny, very bright; Boston was very cold,” Martinez said. “When I actually went to

Civil War. “There were a lot of bombings really close to his house, so his parents were deciding to come to either the U.S. or Australia,” Diaz said. “The only reason they didn’t go to Australia is because my grandpa had his sister here in the States, so they decided to come here to come live with her.”

Having completed high school, her father began working a series of blue collar jobs before Diaz, whose mother ultimately left the household, was born. This ultimately influenced Diaz's own perspective on education.

“I see the type of person that my stepmom is: she’s a teacher and I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, so I see all the things that she’s accomplished with a college education, and I want that,” Diaz said.

“So I get to see the consequences of not having a college education— and the advantages of having a college education.”

COLLEGE ON P. 3

AMELIE LEE

Clockwise from top left, graduating DBHS seniors Matthew Ho, Brian Chang, Jade Chen, Emily Jacobsson, Joshua Yan, Pablo Martinez, Derek Su, Amy Xia, Hailey Shi and Ashley To will be heading off to Ivy League schools in the fall.

From one crown to another Senior Natalie Swartout was named Miss Santa Monica Teen after a year as Miss Diamond Bar. Catherine Liu business manager With only 11 days to prepare, Diamond Bar High School senior Natalie Swartout took a last-minute chance to enter the annual Miss Santa Monica Teen Pageant—and she won.

“I was really excited. I knew that I prepped as hard as I could even though I decided to do it so last minute so I was fully confident in what I had done,” Swartout said.

“I expected to do well but I didn't necessarily know that I was going to win so I was very excited that I

ended up winning.”

For the pageant, she competed in activewear and evening gown contests, answered two onstage questions and underwent a personal one-on-one interview with the judges.

"[Participating in pageants] really just changed me for the better and matured me a lot."

NATALIE SWARTOUT “My favorite was probably the onstage questions because you get to talk about yourself to the judges,” Swartout said.

Swartout started competing in pageants after her neighbor, 2012

Miss Diamond Bar Alexandra Miller, made a suggestion that she try out.

“At first I didn't want to do it, but I decided to end up pursuing it.

When I won my first pageant, I realized that it was such a fun experience,” Swartout said.

As Miss Santa Monica Teen, Swartout helps out each month by visiting shelters to feed the homeless and attend charity events. One of the most recent events she attended was Know the Glow at Jimmy Choo on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. The charity event sells shoes to raise money to promote awareness of childhood blindness.

“I wasn’t carrying anything but I had my sash and I was just there to represent and be supportive of the organization,” Swartout said.

Aside from her involvement in

pageant ON P. 2

2

NEWS

MAY 23, 2018

THE BULL'S EYE

DB seniors earn aid for college costs DBHS' Girls' League awarded Brahmas with scholarships, as did other organizations.

Renee elefante asst. news editor

HANNAH LEE Mediocre. This was the only word I could comfortably describe myself as throughout high school.

It’s no secret that I struggled to make it through high school. I felt 10 steps behind everyone and incredibly average at DBHS. Perhaps it’s my future Ivy League student best friend that I felt like a sidekick to for all four years (not that I minded) or the athlete in my AP Chemistry class who also happens to be valedictorian with four officer positions that made me feel incredibly small.

I spent my my time at this school tearing myself down and became my own worst obstacle. My self hatred kept me away from trying new things and taking chances. Try out for that? Talk to this person? Apply to this college? Not good enough.

I feel a sting of regret when I reflect on my missed opportunities, but quite honestly I’m more than grateful I missed them. I know how cliche the whole growing up, finding yourself tale that practically every senior can tell is, but unfortunately, I’m going to tell mine anyway.

For me, and probably everyone else, high school was just a growing pain. Maybe I still have the cynicism and self deprecation from the past four years buried inside me, but I taught myself one of the biggest life lessons I’ve learned. The feeling of regret will always remind me that nothing is stopping me but myself.

While I was too busy beating myself down, I failed to see those around me building me up. And one of the biggest sources of support I kept brushing off came from the group of people that I’ve worked everyday with to create this paper.

I never felt more welcomed and like I belonged in a group as much as the Bull’s Eye. When I came in virtually everyday feeling like my world was falling apart, practically everyone at one point offered me their advice and comfort— even when I was cold, shriveled up, and sucked the joy out of everyone.

Maybe I began feeling like a burden with my miserable pessimism, but eventually, with a little help from those who reached out, I ended this internal four year war I had.

I can’t say I enjoyed high school, but I can say I’m leaving this place and off to another just as happy as anyone else who has hundreds of more accomplishments. I also can’t say I love everything about who I am, but, as cliche as it is, everything fell right into place, and I'm more than happy with where I landed.

To every Bull’s Eye member I created unforgettable memories and bonds with— alumni I miss but still catch up with, friends on staff who I’ve known since middle school, underclassmen who I’ve grown close to despite our short time together, and Mr. List, though you found my misery amusing at times— I can’t express how thankful I am for showing me your endless love even when I couldn’t show it myself.

HANNAH LEE WAS ON STAFF FOR THREE YEARS AND WAS PREVIOUSLY NEWS AND PHOTO EDITOR.

Diamond Bar High School seniors Melody Chang, Darin Chang and Kevin Ibrahim all received a letter during their first period classes.

To their surprise, they were the winners of the annual Girls’ League Merit Scholarships.

Melody Chang and Darin Chang were each awarded $500 while Ibrahim was awarded $100.

Scholarships from other organizations were also recently distributed.

The Kiwanis Club of Walnut Valley gave senior Glenn Arnade a $500 scholarship, while senior Meghan Shen was awarded the Joe Dyer Service Scholarship for $500 Senior Pauline Woodley became the first winner of the Bull’s Eye scholarship, receiving $1,000.

The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps also awarded scholarships in exchange for joining the military program in college.

Senior William Liang received a U.S. Marine scholarship for $180,000, while senior Josiah Yim also received a $300,000 scholarship from the U.S. Air Force.

Senior Rhiston Yu also received a $220,000 scholarship from the U.S.

Army.

Meanwhile, seniors Hailey Shi, Krystal Mach and Sophia Kim each received $1,000 scholarships from the Diamond Bar Women’s Club.

The Girls’ League Merit Scholarship was created by English teacher Lisa Pacheco in 2005.

In order to be considered for the scholarship, students must write a 300-500 word essay with the completed application attached, a recent transcript that shows a GPA of 2.5 or higher, a resume of the community service with contacts for verification, proof of acceptance to a college or university program and a letter of recommendation.

In the past, there have been many applicants, but this year only had three, all of whom received the scholarship.

“I was particularly impressed

EMILY KIM

Darin Chang (left) and Melody Chang were awarded $500 from Girls' League.

the staff Editors-in-Chief News Editor Asst. News Editors

Amelie Lee, Amy Miyahara Angela Yang Renee Elefante, Elizabeth Peng

Opinion Editor Asst. Opinion Editors

Ted Yarmoski Grace Lee, Erin Li

Feature Editor Asst. Feature Editors

Cindy Liu Kristen Sanchez, Kate Zheng Amelie Lee Josh Kim, Maggie Liu

A&E Editor Asst. A&E Editors Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editors

Amy Miyahara Ryan Lam, Johnny Wang

Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editors

Amelie Lee Victoria Artale, Tiffany Lee, Samyuktha Vellaiyan

Business Managers Asst. Business Managers Web Editor Asst. Web Editors Staff Writers

with Melody’s self-discipline and entrepreneurship and Darin’s involvement with the Red Cross Club on campus,” Pacheco said.

Melody Chang is not actually a member of the club; she learned about the scholarship through the Senior Bulletin.

She said she was excited to get the scholarship after receiving a letter during her AP French class in first period.

“I’m planning to study the 5-year dual program of Scripps College and Columbia University as a presidential scholar,” Chang said.

“I’m going to study economics and industrial engineering.”

In her sophomore year, Chang created an online non-profit organization called Retail For Change that helps Amazon sellers promote their products on her site in ex-

change for a donation.

The donations go to animal and environmental causes, as well as advocacy for performing arts.

Prior to starting her business, Chang had grown up in the retail environment, as her parents owned a Hello Kitty shop as well as a cookie shop when she was young.

She was inspired to create her business after learning about the 2008 Great Recession.

Darin Chang is also not a member of Girls League, and he found out about the application from a flyer in grade level coordinator David Desmond’s office.

Chang was surprised to find out he received the scholarship because he expected other applicants to get it instead.

He found out from a letter sent to his first period AP Statistics class.

“I’ll probably help pay for college and textbooks or other fees that I’m gonna have to pay,” Chang said. “I’m planning on becoming an individual in the health career field, so I’m not exactly sure exactly which profession yet.”

Chang has been a part of the American Red Cross Club on campus for four years, starting in his freshman year, and an officer for the past three years.

The club is a part of the Claremont-Pomona chapter division, and they work in different areas of Los Angeles and have worked at the Rose Parade in Pomona installing smoke alarms.

They have also occasionally performed public shows at local elementary schools.

Pageant experience instills confidence pageant FROM p. 1 beauty pageants, she also participated in a fashion show called the San Diego Fashion Fest, in which she wore outfits from four different designers.

Currently, Swartout is working with her pageant coach, Kristen Bradford, to prepare for next year’s Miss California Teen USA. Afterwards, Swartout plans to try out for Teen USA in the future.

“She's going to be going over my walk [and interview questions]

with me, just preparing me for any possible question,” Swartout said.

“I’m really just getting my body and mind in shape.”

Although she is still undecided with what career path to choose, Swartout said that she plans to major in business and transfer into the cosmetic industry. “[Participating in pageants] really just made me a more confident person,” Swartout said. “I know parts of myself that didn't know before so it really just changed me for the better and matured me a lot.”

Catherine Liu, Cindy Liu Maggie Liu, Nia Mitchell Ted Yarmoski Christina Liu, Samyuktha Vellaiyan Emily Koh, Camille McCurry

Adviser

Doug List

contact us Diamond Bar High School, Room 563 21400 Pathfinder Road Diamond Bar, CA 91765 Phone: (909) 594-1405 x33563 Email: eye.editors@gmail.com Business Inquiries: thebullseyebusiness@gmail.com

editorial policy The Bull’s Eye is a public forum that welcomes the views of our readers. Letters to the Editor and Op-Ed pieces will be accepted only if they are signed. The author may, however, request anonymity. The staff reserves the right to edit letters without changing content. You may forward letters to Room 563 or submit them online at dbbullseye.com.

Photo courtesy of NATALIE SWARTOUT

Natalie Swartout poses after winning the Miss Santa Monica Teen competition.

THE BULL'S EYE

MAY 23, 2018

NEWS

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Hwang recognized as Teacher of Year DBHS engineering teacher has been a Brahma for 20 years.

RESTAURANT REVIEW: YOKO

Catherine liu business manager

This small but popular restaurant located in Buena Park offers Japanese cuisine, specializing in donkatsu, served within a bright wooden interior.

DBHS MAINTAINS HIGH RANKING

U.S. News and World Report placed Diamond Bar High School at 59th in the state and among the top 400 in the nation. This earned the school a gold medal ranking.

STATE CITIZENS TO CAST THEIR VOTES

Key issues on the ballot for June 6 include how to authorize spending from recently implemented gas taxes and vehicle fees as well as a recall of Sen. Josh Newman, along with the election for California governor and other legislative positions.

FREESTYLING ON THE ICE

Senior ice skater Brianna Kwan earned the Graduating Seniors Award with Gold Distinction. She passed the senior level tests in her sophomore year, which makes her a Double Gold Medalist.

Diamond Bar High School’s only engineering teacher, Johnny Hwang, was recognized as Teacher of the Year for 2018, in part for helping the school earn distinguished school status from Project Lead The Way, a group that promotes the STEM curriculum.

“I was just kind of shocked,” Hwang said. “I keep such a low profile on campus so and it also made me feel good just being appreciated by the other teachers on campus.”

Principal Reuben Jones presented Hwang with the award at the Teacher Appreciation luncheon that was held on April 27 in the gym.

Teachers Becky Bevans, Michelle Hansen, and Stacy Tenace were the other finalists for this year’s award.

Hwang, who has been a Brahma for 20 years, started off his career on campus teaching chemistry and AP environmental science as well as all levels of biology. It’s only been in the past five years that

Hwang took on teaching engineering, at the request of former DBHS principal Catherine Real.

“I kind of just in the last five years migrated to the engineering side,” Hwang said.

Hwang started the Introduction to Robotics class at DBHS because it grew out of his research he was doing for a masters of instructional technology. The engineering teacher ultimately took on the task because he enjoyed tinkering and rebuilding classic arcade games.

He now teaches all of levels of PLTW engineering classes.

Hwang took two weeks of extensive training to be qualified to teach the class. As the PLTW teacher, Hwang assigns more hands-on work and projects for the students.

“It's really rigorous so we use a lot of statistics, math and physics in our curriculum,” Hwang said.

“It's a really wide range of things just to spark some interest [in engineering] for kids.”

The class teaches 3D modeling as well as programming. Along with engineering, Hwang has also been acknowledged for his excellence in the science department and received Teacher of the Division a few years back.

“I feel like I work really hard for the students so it's always good to be recognized,” Hwang said.

SIPHONING FROM OTHER CULTURES

The Bull's Eye tackles the recently resurfaced topic of cultural appropriation as people dress in various gear from customs and cultures other than their own.

visit

DBBULLSEYE.COM

Photo courtesy of DBHS.ORG

Johnny Hwang acknowledges his award in a speech at a staff luncheon.

Students inspired by parents to pursue college COLLEGE FROM p. 1 Meanwhile, Ortega will be studying biochemistry at Chapman University in Orange, California.

Both of his parents graduated from high school, but were occupied with other tasks and did not pursue higher education.

“My mom helped my grandparents a lot so she stayed home with them and then she ended up getting a job,” Ortega said. “My dad after high school had a couple jobs and then he had me with my mom.”

Having lived in California throughout their lives, Ortega’s parents decided to settle down in the Walnut Valley School District for his education.

He attended Walnut High School before finishing off his high school career at Diamond Bar High School.

According to Ortega, his parents have always been a driving force behind his determination to do

well in his own studies. They aim to pass on a more prosperous future to their son.

“They always knew that I would be able to move on to a greater

education but they never thought that good of an education, like the chance that i got to go to a school like that,” Ortega said. “They’ve always believed in me and I’ve been

Seniors Krystal Diaz (left) and Joseph Ortega will be the first generation of their families to attend college, both with neither parent having done so in the past.

able to do it, but they’re probably the proudest that they could ever be.”

Ortega himself is also excited to discover what the future holds in store.

“My own motivations would be making my parents proud first and then taking advantage of the opportunity that they gave me and setting myself up for a better future,” Ortega said. “Being able to start a career and all that and make a lot of money is probably what motivates me a lot too, to be honest.”

After attaining his degree, he hopes to one day find a career in crime scene investigations or detective work.

Other seniors pioneering a path to college include Robin Zhou and Christian Killian. Senior Katherine Santos will also be a first-generation college student along with her older sister, who is currently in university.

DBHS Chinese teacher to retire after 17 years retirement FROM p. 1 also set her apart from lots of other teachers.”

Aside from teaching her students about Chinese culture, Shen was also known to offer guidance to them about life principles in general.

She was known for her teachings of filial disciplinary regulations in

parent-child relationships.

“To me, academics is something that kids either like or don’t like, but I think the thing that’s most important is life lessons especially for them,” Shen said. “This is the time that is best for them to make their life principles, how they look at things and how to make the right choices. Those are very important things for the kids to learn so I try

to incorporate things like that in my teachings.”

Upon entering retirement, Shen plans to spend time doing things that will expose her to different opportunities and new beginnings.

“Right now I don’t know exactly my plan, but I’m probably going to find a long term residency and sell my house because my house is big and I need to find a place that’s the

right size for me,” Shen said.

After she stops teaching Chinese, she plans to further her contribution to the world in other ways as well.

“I also plan on going somewhere and doing something interesting to benefit someone else," Shen said. "I think I want to get involved in more charity work; I think it’s the time to start helping other people.”

BRIAN CHANG Senior year has been one full of firsts. My first job, first place at write-offs, my first time pulling an all-nighter. Yet, it has also been one marking many lasts, chiefly my final year in high school. In my final article for The Bull’s Eye, I want to take a look back at some of the choices that brought me to this point.

As a preface, there is nothing I hate more than making a decision.

Any of my close friends will agree that I refuse to choose when or where to hang out; I will never suggest a restaurant and I never know what food to order. I’m always afraid I’ll pick the wrong option.

Yet, life has been nothing but a plethora of choices. Every day I am forced to decide what I want to eat for dinner, and whether to spend my time watching yet another drama episode or to do homework. It took me forever to decide between applying for college as a journalism or engineering major, and it took me even longer to come up with an idea for my personal statement. It took me four years to finally settle on the topic of this senior column.

I grew up believing there were no good or bad decisions. Every choice I made would be judged solely by the outcome, which I would have no idea of knowing, meaning no choice was in itself positive or negative. Case in point: coming into high school, I was told choosing Diamond Bar over Troy was stupid, but it ended up working out for me.

Over time, however, I realized my view on life was terribly wrong.

After all, regardless of what has happened over the past four years, I still consider joining The Bull’s Eye the best decision of my life.

Sure, I was terribly disappointed when I wasn’t chosen as editorin-chief, and not placing my first year at the write-offs competition crushed me. I lost countless hours of lunch time I could have spent eating lunch with my friends (not to mention the countless meals I gave up).

Yet, without journalism, I wouldn’t have made some of the best memories of my high school career. Working for yet another year as News Editor with the wonderful Hannah Lee made me realize just how lucky I was to have a partner like her, and I made up for my first write-offs failure with three first place victories. My Bull’s Eye friends became my support system (thanks Amelie and EmK for putting up with me), and I found people willing to share food with me when I didn’t have the foresight to buy my own.

The Bull’s Eye really did become closer than family for me, and it’s all thanks to a single decision I made without really knowing what I was getting myself into. Maybe choices aren’t always so bad.

BRIAN CHANG WAS ON STAFF FOR THREE YEARS AND WAS PREVIOUSLY NEWS EDITOR.

4

OPINION

THE BULL'S EYE

EYE EDITORS

MAY 23, 2018

OF THE

OPINION: Students should keep mental health in mind when making decisions about their classes, activities and how they spend time in general.

W

NOOR NAJI After four years of an “education,” I cannot call myself a math genius, a science nerd, a persuasive speaker or even a good writer.

While some hope to uncover their hidden greatness in high school, I have found myself to be perfectly ordinary and mediocre. The greatest evidence is that I can neither express my thoughts vocally or on paper, but that is for you to judge.

Before I walked into Diamond Bar, I had spent the past two years in a private Islamic school, the three years before that in a private school in Syria, and fours years before that in a private Catholic school in Riverside.

While many incoming freshmen were scared to start high school and adapt to their new atmosphere, instability and feeling left out was my trademark... But even that didn’t prepare me for what was to come.

Living out of the country and coming back wasn’t easy. I had ended my English education with fourth grade level grammar, I didn’t know the proper format for a middle-school essay, and my mathematics and science classes were taught to me in Arabic and I didn’t know the correct terminology in English.

When I came in the seventh grade, I had to start all over again.

I didn’t know what an AP class was until the beginning of sophomore year. I thought that I would be lucky if I got into Mt. SAC. But nonetheless, in the midst of all the mess that was high school, I was able to find room 563.

I can imagine ten years from now that the only experience that will stand out to me from high school is the time spent during lunch and fifth period in that stuffy journalism room.

I will only remember the hours spent moving and arranging text boxes on the opinion page, the bonds created with my journalism peers, the meme world introduced to me by Ted Yarmoski and the many, many, many edits and suggestions Mr. List would mark on all of my articles.

Unexpectedly, journalism was the closest thing I have ever had to a footing. And it is because of this class that I leave high school with sadness.

While I have dreamt of leaving DBHS every moment in the past four years, there is no denying that I leave high school a different person than when I entered it, as cliche as it sounds.

The numerous conversations with Mr. List on what to write for my next column alone have made me question, doubt and develop my own opinions.

For those who think that being in high school is the worst and cannot wait to leave it: I won’t lie, it is for the most part pretty bad... But it will surely end. And only then will you realize the hidden good.

NOOR NAJI WAS ON STAFF FOR TWO YEARS AND WAS PREVIOUSLY OPINION EDITOR.

ith multiple AP courses, extracurriculars and standardized tests to worry about, it’s no surprise that the average Diamond Bar student seems to be overstressed and unhappy.

While this culture of sleep deprivation and stress-crying is normalized at Diamond Bar, students and teachers should be more conscious in their efforts to prioritize their mental and emotional health over their grades and academic rigor.

Faced with intense competition and parental pressure, students seem to face their daily lives with a singular goal— to get into the college of their choice. Students in every class find themselves constant-

ly competing with those around them, and forcing themselves to do extra extracurriculars or pile on AP classes just to compete.

Much of this work is not created from personal interests or passions, but the desire to match up to personal and social expectations. This mindset might play into the harsh work ethic that most Diamond Bar students subscribe to, but fails to put weight on balance and being able to maintain an emotionally healthy lifestyle through focusing on passions and getting help.

By overstressing about academics in lieu of addressing anxiety or stress head on, students put themselves at risk of developing un-

healthy ways of coping with their problems, pushing aside happiness for work.

The high school experience is not solely checking off volunteer hours and extracurriculars. High schoolers cannot rely on unhealthy coping habits such as stress eating and self deprecation to solve their problems, or allow mental health problems such as depression and anxiety to go unchecked. Students at DBHS need to realize that as important as their education is, they also need to ensure that they are living life in a well rounded way.

With this singular mindset of getting good grades and getting into college, it’s difficult to see the

bigger picture— that personal fulfillment also comes with an investment in one’s mental and emotional health. Students need to make time for relaxation and stress relief, and also choose to move past stereotypes by reaching out when they are battling depression or anxiety. Whether to family, friends, or even the school Wellness Center, taking the opportunity to get help shouldn’t be seen as weak.

In this critical time period when high schoolers are learning who they are and who they want to be, students should allow themselves room to grow and develop emotionally instead of endlessly stressing about their GPA.

From the Brahma Perspective

Sometimes people lose sight of what’s important because they’re trying to look at their grades or trying to get the A in the class.

The majority of Diamond Bar is [taking hard classes] which forces other people to as well if they don’t want to be left behind.

The competition is severe...the students make it a more competitive atmosphere than it should be.

My grades weren’t coming out the way I wanted and I had a small anxiety attack, I was lacking a lot of sleep, too.

AISHWARYA RANE (11)

MELODY ZHAO (12)

JESSICA WOO (11)

VALERIE OV (10)

Tedy

Public defense of loiterers

O

ted yarmoski opinion editor

n May 29, Starbucks regulars won’t be able to order coffee as the company concedes to complaints of non-existent racial bias.

About a month ago, two men were ask to leave a Starbucks in Philadelphia after they occupied the venue and requested to use the restroom without purchasing any product. When they did not comply, the police were called by an employee and the men were arrested.

Although they were released later that day, headlines popped up across the nation after liberal activist Melissa DePino posted a video of the event which quickly went viral.

Normally, an event like this would struggle to make it onto even local news. However, with recent events such as the Yale student calling the police on a student or the lady in Oakland trying to get a family arrested, society now emphasizes racial differences above more pertinent factors.

The “two black men,” as identified by headlines, failed to follow basic public policies and a direct request from a manager, essentially trespassing. They even refused to leave the store when asked to by police.

Following a logical course of action, they were arrested and removed from the Starbucks. However, this prompted baseless backlash from the public, which claimed that

the move was racially motivated and that the men should have been able to use the busy store without purchasing a product.

Why do these men in particular deserve any special privilege over others who follow rules and act reasonably? True racial discrimination should not be confused with people who are unable to follow basic, established rules. When considering that the stores are operational businesses, many agree that a Starbucks is not public property, but a business.

We live in a society where amateur activism has disproportionate impact, and the public outcry predictably forced Starbucks to cave in.

By closing all stores in the U.S. for “racial-bias training,” Starbucks is conceding that the event was an issue of racial-bias, instead of resisting the toxic public outcry. By doing this, Starbucks has shown that it cannot stand up to “social activists” reaching for an excuse to #boycottStarbucks.

Instead of being rewarded for taking action and following store policy, workers lost their jobs and ruined their reputations. Now, those working at these kinds of establishments will be scared to enforce simple business policies, fearing that their livelihoods and reputations will be tarnished.

Additionally, Starbucks will be making their bathrooms accessible to non-customers in a response to the incident. This will cost thousands in maintenance and upkeep costs across all locations and will only add onto the sizable bill stemming from the debacle, including the bad publicity and bias training costs.

Organizations should stand up to pseudo-activism and affirm that abiding by established rules should not call for damage to a company or the loss of jobs.

Phoning it in

Cartoon courtesy of SARAH SEIF

THE BULL'S EYE

MAY 23, 2018

OPINION

5

Summer programs

Are they the best way for students to spend their summer? mosphere such as that of the Middle East. This familiarizes young people with settings and cultures from around the globe, enhancing their understanding of the world beyond home.

Living on a college campus for a few weeks also introduces high schoolers to dormitory life and helps them determine whether a school feels right to them.

Angela Yang As might be expected, summer news editor programs do put a dent in the bank The idea of preaccount. Spending three residencollege programs tial weeks at Stanford amounts might conjure up to almost $7,000 in all-inclusive images of rich kids whose famituition and attending a six-week lies have the means to shell out NYU program can cost up to a stagthousands of dollars for a few gering $15,000, according to the weeks of instruction somewhere schools’ websites. on the other side of the country.

Enormous expenses are often However, underneath the haze of the most obstructive hurdle for misconception, students can acstudents seeking a pre-college tually reap colossal benefits from summer experience, but this can indulging in these opportunities. serve as an example to show that While summer programs take up worthwhile rewards will not come from one week effortlessly. In fact, to two months with the help of “[Students] have of vacation time, financial aid and the opportunity to the skills and exadditional fundpursue their interest periences gained raising methods, in a community of make up for any many people who ambitious peers who preconceived do attend these share their passion.” loss. programs don’t Not only are end up paying the students trained through immerfull stated price. sive, hands-on experiences, they Though it may seem as if stualso have the opportunity to purdents hop on the pre-college bandsue their interest in a community wagon simply to stay competitive, of ambitious peers who share their most don’t attend summer propassion. Notable educational programs just for the sake of slapping grams can attract domestic and it onto their brag sheets. If that’s international applicants, exposthe only incentive, then it truly ing all participants to a healthy wouldn’t be worth the price. variety of young individuals from Students accepted by these promany walks of life. grams are chosen for a reason: they As schools and facilities offering exhibit passion for the field. Colsummer programs can be located leges can see through unmotivated anywhere in the country or even application-padding, and summer abroad, students can choose from program admissions boards are no a variety of new environments to fools either. acquaint themselves with.

Considering all the benefits to be Kids from rural settings have gained, attending a summer prothe chance to experience life in gram away from home can leave the big city, while those living in any curious young mind with undowntown Manhattan might imforgettable memories well worth merse themselves in a foreign atthe monetary sacrifice.

PRO

keeps universities from selecting an applicant.

“If a high school student can think of nothing better to do in the summer than continue to be a traditional student in a classroom for another two months, isn’t that more likely to suggest a lack of imagination than intellectual vitality?” asked Raymond Ravaglia, a former associate dean for pre-colamy miyahara legiate studies at Stanford Univereditor-in-chief sity, in a Washington Post article.

With college The estimated cost of Stanadmissions beford’s summer session ranges from coming more $14,426 to $17,054. The Stanford selective each year, many high website also states that the school schoolers will head off to elite unidoes not take into account “demversities to spend several weeks at onstrated interest,” including sumsummer programs in hopes that mer program participation, when their attendance will help them making admissions decisions, get into the school of their dreams. showing that students who pay to With so many of their peers headspend a summer at Stanford do not ing off to such programs, students increase their chance of getting feel pressured to do the same, but into the university. they should ask themselves, “Are For those who are truly intellecthese programs tually curious, spereally worth it?” cialized programs “For those who are There’s no are not essential to truly intellectually doubt that these personal growth. curious, specialized colleges can proIf someone is pasprograms are not vide future colsionate about a essential to personal legiates with subject or is lookgrowth.” valuable learning to find new ing experience opportunities over and exposure to aspects of college the summer, there are ways that life. Programs give students the they can get involved on a more opportunity to work with worldlocal level at a far lower cost. Parclass professors, meet people from ticipating in volunteer work, workaround the world and access reing as an intern or applying for a sources that they don’t have at job are activities that are signifihome. However, many of these procantly cheaper than flying across grams are nothing more than ways the country for a month and may for universities to make money. look even better on a résumé, than While certain programs do have a pricey summer program. educational benefits, many indiThe culture of competition in viduals apply not because they which students only take part in genuinely want to learn, but beactivities to gain a leg up over their cause they want something to put peers is not healthy, nor does it on their college applications. Stucreate individuals who focus on dents pour thousands of dollars the things that they are truly pasinto programs that they think are sionate about. This phenomenon necessary to get them into the colis propagated by summer program lege of their dreams, but this is ofparticipation. If someone’s priten not the case. In fact, attending mary goal in going to a program expensive programs might show is to boost their résumé, then they the very lack of initiative that should rethink their motives.

CON

An AP-palling waste of time

E

ted yarmoski opinion editor

very year when AP testing season rolls around, I see students studying and preparing months before the upcoming tests. I don’t understand why they spend time worrying about AP tests when they could just refuse to take them.

After spending my time and energy all year in class, not taking the AP test is the perfect way to relax after all of that hard work.

All of the late nights studying, hour-long lectures and chapter tests will soon become valuable experiences that will be paid off by not taking the AP test this May. Instead of spending $94 for a measly test, I’m planning to pay the reasonable thousands to take the classes in college and guarantee credit, rather than risk failing the test and wasting all of my test money and hard work. I haven’t spoken to my parents about this

decision but I assume they would agree with this fiscally responsible use of their money.

There’s less pressure on me when I only have to study a cumulative review for the class final and not spend time studying for the AP test.

I wouldn’t want to waste my energy on some silly College Board test when I could be focusing on a test that will impact my GPA. As application season approaches, colleges will be able to detect my enthusiasm for attending.

Admissions officers will be blown away that I am so eager to

SUMMATIVELY SATIRICAL

take classes in college that I refused take credit for them through the AP exam.

With all of the thought and reasoning put into my decision not to take the test, I’m sure my teachers will recognize my genius and write me a brilliant letter of recommendation that highlights my informed choices.

They may also appreciate my full dedication toward their final, the exam that they worked all year to prepare me for.

With the recent emphasis on wellness and stress-relief at the school, it only makes sense to re-

lieve myself of the burden that the AP test would have on my wellbeing.

Why would I upset my emotional well being by introducing more stress to the campus?

Furthermore, if the test changes every year and we all take it at the same time, how am I supposed to get answers from my friends? The College Board is clearly being unreasonable by expecting us to pass without this valuable help.

I hope that others will be receptive to my logic and reasoning and make the sensible decision to skip the AP test like I have chosen to do.

Cartoon courtesy of MEGAN LEE

SOPHIA KIM If you ever see me around campus for the last time, even if we’re complete strangers, say “Hi.” I’ll never forget it.

Flashback to freshman year, I vividly remember walking on to campus, determined to be a valedictorian and the “perfect” student. I wanted to take the most AP classes, be involved in the most extracurriculars, have the most friends, and truthfully, even have a cute boyfriend (which I now realize is impossible). I wanted to be perfect to the point that I’d dropped fifty pounds, lose what it meant to be happy, and live life like a robot.

Sophomore year hit, and my grades started slipping. But it was a good sign, a sign that I was starting to live my life. It was the year I started to focus on rapping, dedicate myself to clubs and learn selfacceptance. I remember rapping my “journalism song” in front of Mr. Roubian’s class and dancing to K-pop in Ms. Ku’s class after she turned on “Bang Bang Bang” by BigBang. I was late to my next period.

Junior year was a heck of an experience. I didn’t have as much freedom due to the amount of AP classes and extracurriculars. I remember breaking down at school in front of Catherine, crying about the two “C’s” that I had a week before the semester ended. I was running around campus at lunch, trying to attend a Girl’s League meeting, Interact meeting, cram my homework, and interview for an article during the 40 minute lunch period. As crazy as it was, I made valuable memories too, one of the most memorable being ubering to Downtown LA to audition for Show Me the Money 6 right after the AP Calculus test (my mom thought I was ubering to the library).

Now, it’s senior year. The time where I had to cram all my essays, anxious about where I would end up spending my next four years. I remember feeling the least stressed this year, enjoying the little things in my daily life. I’ll remember joining my first ever class dance, holding the first PAWS meeting, going to prom and rapping at Apollo Night this year. Thank you Katie and Denise for making my first ever fan-poster. I’ll try my best to become the next “Rich Grampasoap.”

High school is now a closed journey full of “I’ll remembers.” I’ll remember messing up my interviews to be part of the Bull’s Eye by wearing a wig, bringing home a rescued jindo from my trip to South Korea, holding the first meeting for PAWS, laughing with my STD squad in journalism being absolutely unproductive and making countless video projects for Korean class with Tricia and Stephanie.

Most importantly, I’ll remember the last time I’ll eat lunch on campus with Catherine and Tricia before we head off towards our new journey. And I think I’ll miss it.

SOPHIA KIM WAS ON STAFF FOR THREE YEARS AND WAS PREVIOUSLY ASSISTANT WEB EDITOR.

6

FEATURE

MAY 23, 2018

THE BULL'S EYE

DBHS ALUMNI EST. 1982

Stepping into the limelight

samyuktha vellaiyan asst. photo editor

EMILY KIM Considering how many times I have written stories, you would think it would be easy for me by now to write down the memories that I have collected since I was a freshman. But that is not the case.

I am unsure of what to say in the 450 allocated words of this single column. But with the threat of a B looming over my head if this is not submitted, I must accept that these final words will never be perfect and that this is really only a small fraction of what my time in high school truly was. (Ask me if you want to hear the rest of the details. It will be a lengthy story.

To the school that has held so many hours of my adolescent life: thank you for not completely killing me before I go off into the world.

Although there are many things that I complained about, whether it be the bathrooms, classrooms or really any other room, I will always remember this steep-staired campus as being a place of joy, hardwork and more than some tears.

To my teachers: thank you for putting up with my loud voice and ability to never sit still. Although I may not have completely retained the knowledge that was handed to me, I am grateful nonetheless for trying your best to teach me something about derivatives and ICE tables.

To my friends: thank you for the never-ending support and laughter you have provided me with. I don’t think I could ever find people more compassionate or willing to listen to my troubles and joys than you guys. From our tie dye shirts to our ginormous bill that we always have whenever we go out to eat, which is quite often, I adore you all and cannot wait to see the amazing things that will happen in your futures.

To Mr. List: thank you for being there for me through thick and thin. I don’t think I will ever meet another person like you in general, teacher or not. Your humor and ability to stick anything in your ear unconsciously will forever be a part of my high school experience.

You have taught me so many things that any old teacher couldn’t have and also taught me everything a teacher should have and more.

To everyone in journalism: thank you for an amazing four years. It has been an amazing ride and I wouldn’t want to spend hours staring at a computer screen with anyone else. Through all of the screams when computers crash, rapid fire editing and more than occasional goofing off, I have come to gather a group of people I will hold near and dear to my heart as corny as that sounds.

And thank you to whoever is reading this. I don’t think any of my works would be what they are without having someone stare at the text until the very end. This is goodbye to my final article. (*high-five!!*) EMILY KIM WAS ON STAFF FOR THREE YEARS AND WAS PREVIOUSLY FEATURE EDITOR.

Unlike many high students who strictly adhere to their studies, Diamond Bar High School class of 1994 alumnus Arthur O’Daly has prioritized his time on chasing his childhood ambition of working in the film and television industry.

O’Daly’s inspiration to pursue acting and screenwriting came when his father’s friend, a cinematographer, frequently invited him over to his studio to watch shows being filmed. Those studio trips were an unforgettable experience.

“I was probably five or six the first time I got to go to a set, and I can remember it so strongly because it made me so happy. Once you’re bitten by a bug like that, you never get over it,” O’Daly said via email.

O’Daly writes, produces and acts in his own Amazon show, “Successful People,” with co-creator Theresa Ryan, with whom he created musical covers on their popular YouTube channel, “Skip and Terri.”

It is about an unsuccessful songwriting duo trying to make it after ten years in the business and failing. They are on the verge of giving up on their dream until they try to give it a final push. The series was even featured in Amazon’s Trending TV list the week the second season was released.

Photo Courtesy of IMDB.COM

Alumni Arthur O’Daly (left) plays Charles in “Silicon Valley,” on HBO. At DBHS, O’Daly auditioned for every school play organized by drama and considers those experiences to be invaluable. Some of the plays he performed in include “Class Dismissed,” “Museum” and the first DBHS musical, “Oklahoma.” After graduating from DBHS, he attended Fullerton College to study theater and writing.

His hard work paid off as he received the opportunity to attend the Acting Conservatory at State University of New York at Purchase, a prestigious acting program in New York. But he didn’t stay long, returning to Fullerton to attend Cal State.

“I didn’t really want to be in college because I wanted to be out auditioning immediately,” O’Daly

said. “And if I’d known how to do that, I probably would have. But it’s good I went to college because of the tons of stage experience I got and because of the relationships I formed.”

O’Daly’s college education has led him to great heights as he earned guest roles in popular TV shows, such as Joshua in “Modern Family,” an intern in “Grey’s Anatomy” and a thief in “The Big Bang Theory.” Since 2004, O’Daly has appeared in over 20 TV series and has written and directed two short films.

He considers auditions for these roles to be the most important and daunting step to gaining roles because “the most important thing as an actor is to get seen.”

“They say just getting the audition is the win, and that’s very true because out of the hundreds of actors out there, you got a chance to audition,” O’Daly said.

O’Daly said that the best part of his profession is working with other actors.

“It’s validating and exciting and nerve-wracking because you don’t want to be the guy that screws up the scene for everybody, especially when there’s a whole crew watching you and a lot of money being spent to make the show happen,” O’Daly said.

According to O’Daly, the most important skill that is necessary for any actor is self-sacrifice.

“The thing is, being an actor actually requires a lot of sacrifice,” O’Daly said. “You see friends going the ‘traditional’ route, climbing their career ladders, moving into bigger houses and all that, while you’re plugging away, chasing the dream, living in a small apartment and trying to make ends meet. But because of that, I’ve gained a lot of insight into what makes me happy.”

O’Daly advises high school students to pursue something they cherish and to remember to be hardworking.

“Make sure it’s something you really want and make sure you’re willing to learn,” O’Daly said. “Be prepared to work hard because it’s the thing you really love to do, whether you make it big or not.”

Kindling a bright future catherine liu business MANAGER Surviving six weekends of training in a desolated area, Diamond Bar High School senior Cristian Meza received his Explorer Academy Certification in March, allowing him to go on calls with firefighters and perform tasks on site.

“Just finishing the academy, that kind of just hit the hammer on the nail, like, wow, this is what I want to do,” Meza said.

Meza was first introduced to the idea of firefighting through his

Photo Courtesy of CRISTIAN MEZA

Senior Cristian Meza completed the firefighter training program. dad, a reserve firefighter for the city of San Gabriel. After hearing many stories from his dad, Meza became interested in becoming a firefighter himself.

He discovered the Explorer program when talking to a firefighter crew at the annual Diamond Bar City birthday party three years ago.

“I joined the program thinking that I would just try it out, but as I got into it, I started liking it more and more,” Meza said.

The program requires students

to attend meetings every Sunday morning, doing physical training and learning from certified explorers.

The six-week Explorer Academy requires a recommendation from a certified explorer and a physical agility test.

Meza underwent physical training and written finals to pass the academy in the Del Valle Training Facility in Castaic.

“The six weeks is more concentrated. The year round is more relaxed, because it’s not like cramming into your head; it’s more like family bonding time with the guys around you,” Meza said.

The certification allows Meza to join the firefighters on calls, helping them through scenarios such as cutting a patient’s clothes to confirm whether they had broken bones or applying patches to patients reading their heartbeat, blood pressure and oxygen levels.

He also has the opportunity to mentor the younger explorers on Sundays, leading them through physical training and explaining various equipments that are utilized by firefighters.

While Meza plans to eventually become an actual firefighter, he also intends to take a four-year degree in college as a backup. He said that he hopes to become a firefighter captain in the future and take paramedic school.

“It’s not for everyone, but it’s rewarding knowing that you’re there for people when they need it the most,” Meza said. “Every day is different: you’re not sitting in a office job, you’re actually out there doing work.”

CORRECTIONS In the last issue of The Bull's Eye, the alumni article mentioned Liezl Van Riper’s last name incorrectly. A correct version of the story is on dbbullseye.com.

Addtionally, Michelle Shen’s name was incorrectly spelled as Michelle Chen.

Photo courtesy of DBHS.ORG

History teacher Anthony Poullard proposes to fiancée Ashlee Gildford on May 6.

Students help teacher pop the question victoria artale asst. photo editor Diamond Bar High School teacher Anthony Poullard, with a little help from his students, popped a question unrelated to history: On May 6, the history instructor proposed to his girlfriend.

“Over time we started developing more of a friendship and it eventually turned into a relationship,” Poullard said. “When I was thinking about it, I thought to not just propose but... surprise her a little bit.”

Poullard and his fian=cée, Ashlee Gilford, have both been longtime fans of Marvel superhero movies. With the new movie “Avengers Infinity War” coming out, Poullard came up with a idea to make an “Avengers”-themed trailer to propose to Gilford at The Fountain of Love Christian Center, where they had first met.

“I thought about it for a long time, and I knew I wanted to do something special particularly at a place that was meaningful for the both of us,” Poullard said.

After Poullard told his Modern World History students about his plans, they put their minds together and came up with ideas.

Among their contributions to the big events were a poster fea-

turing pictures of the couple with heartfelt sayings and a video clip of the junior varsity basketball team–which Poullard coaches– spelling out “Will you marry me, Mrs. Coach P?” on basketballs.

“I wanted them to take part at this moment in my life, and the students recently definitely delivered,” Poullard said. “It just came out so so awesome, and I appreciate all the effort the students put in.”

It was a week of non-stop work

by Poullard and his students, during and after school, in preparation for the big moment.

During church service on Sunday, church members, including both of Poullard’s and Gilfords’s families, were directed to look at the projector for a usual church announcement.

That surprise turned out to be the trailer Poullard had been working on.

Once the trailer finished playing, Gilford and the audience stood in shock as Poullard came out on one knee, with his friends carrying the finished posters behind him.

She said “yes.”

“In the end of the day, not everything is about school and history vocab,” Poullard said. “There’s other things to life and school is definitely a big part of that, and it matters, but there is other things that matter just as much.”

FEATURE

THE BULL'S EYE

MAY 23, 2018

7

KBBQ Showdown

By Tiffany Lee and Grace Lee

When people mention Asian cuisine, a few prominent favorites top the list, with Korean BBQ at the head. Korean BBQ, where customers cook meat on a grill built into the table, has grown in popularity due to the variety of dishes and flavors it offers, resulting in numerous restaurants dedicated to KBBQ opening in the area. Among those that we tried out were Gen, Thirsty Cow, BBQ Stop and Wang Cho.

Wang Cho With its modern and welcoming atmosphere, Wang Cho is a restaurant you can enjoy with friends and family. Although the restaurant was on the pricier side, costing $20.99 per person, the whole experience and high quality of meat made it well worth the price.

The restaurant was all you can eat, but didn’t provide sides with

their meals.

Unlike other all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurants I visited, Wang Cho marinated different types of meat in different styles, but the marinated meat was too sweet for my taste. Although the texture of the meat was very soft, the sweetness was a little overpowering.

Although we had four plates of different types of meat, we had to keep calling for more because of the small portion sizes.

The service was great, with a warm environment that enticed you to eat more. With the two hours given, my friend and I had a great time and was satisfied with our meal.

BBQ Stop Although BBQ Stop provided great service, its poor meat quality fell short of my expectations and I left the restaurant disappointed.

My family and I went to BBQ Stop on a early Saturday morning and were greeted by a server who immediately sat us down. We ordered the option B menu, which

costed $22.99 per person.

My brother and I quickly found our favorite dish, the marinated sliced beef ribs and rib finger meat.

It was very chewy and tender, and it stood out as the highlight of our meal.Beside from the sliced beef ribs and rib finger meat, the other dishes, such as the thin sliced

brisket, were mediocre and lacked originality because of their similar quality to many other KBBQ restaurants.

Despite its quick service and a few excellent dishes, the overall poor meat quality will make me and my family think twice before coming back here again.

Gen Even though Gen Korean BBQ House offers unique fusion dishes, the quality and taste of the dishes discouraged me from returning to the restaurant in the future. The price of dinner is $21.99 per person, perfect for ordering dishes such as bulgogi and marinated pork belly to your heart’s desire for two hours.

Despite arriving on a busy Saturday night, my two family members and I were seated right away. While the serving sizes were small, the waiters checked up on us frequently so our grill was almost always covered with a variety of meat.

What set Gen apart was the subtle sweetness that the meat had, unlike the normal savory taste in tra-

ditional Korean BBQ restaurants.

It was nice to taste something new, but the meat was tough and the plain side dishes did not compliment the main dishes well. Gen did have a few great aspects, such as amazing service and an affordable price, but since its dishes weren’t so appetizing, I will not be returning any time soon.

Thirsty Cow With its friendly staff and mouthwatering dishes, Thirsty Cow instantly became one of my favorite restaurants. Although it was a Thursday evening, the restaurant was already filled with hungry customers, and we had to wait 30 minutes before we were seated. However, the wait was defi-

nitely worth it.

The highlight of this restaurant was its flavorful meats, which are marinated with rich sauce that paired with the fresh side dishes well. The portions were large enough that although the servers didn’t check up on us too frequently, we could enjoy a full grill with-

out having to call a staff member to order more dishes.

The price was $22.98 per person, which was definitely worth the meal. The friendly ambience and menu worth waiting in line for all convinced me that Thirsty Cow would be my go-to Korean BBQ restaurant.

Collaborating for opportunities Christina liu Asst. web editor Driven by a passion for business and entrepreneurship, Diamond Bar High School sophomores Michael Cheng, Jackson Lennon and Tony Xu have started their own non-profit organization called Student Collaboration.

“Ever since middle school, we wanted to create a company together that helps the society in some way,” Cheng said. “In 10th grade, we saw the opportunity and we took it.”

After much consideration, the trio agreed to focus the non-proft organization on connecting students to internships and developing clubs.

“There was some difficulties in developing the idea for our business,” Cheng said. “At first, we wanted to do a financial consulting company for poor families, and over time that changed.”

Through this organization, students in the organization can be matched to internships that meet their personal interests and preferences. According to Xu, STUcollab

forms a better understanding of which internships would be suitable for the applicant after analyzing the student’s transcripts and resumes free of charge.

“The internships we provide— you can’t find them online,” Lennon said. “There are so many requirements to pass, and you have to wait a long time; what we do is bypass that so it’s much easier.”

STUcollab gets ahold of these internships thorough personal outreach, contacting various businesses to see if the company would be interested in working with them.

So far, STUcollab has managed to aid sophomore Mark Tan, who was matched into the summer internship program at Morgan Stanley, and junior Ted Yarmoski, who was matched into the summer internship program at KPMG, the accounting firm. Both students are interested in the business field and were matched up to companies STUcollab felt suited them best.

STUcollab is currently attempting to get in contact with other school districts to help their schools develop clubs of their own.

“There are multiple schools where students don’t have the

AMELIE LEE

From left, sophomores Jackson Lennon, Tony Xu and Michael Cheng are the founders of Student Collaboration which connects students to internships. same resources as students here in DBHS, which is why we want to reach out to them,” Cheng said. “[Thorough STUcollab] they can have an equal opportunity in education.”

Although STUcollab only started this year, the three co-founders hope to make their organization

reach an international level. “[We plan to expand] each of these sectors with students whow are interested with becoming part of our team, sharing our vision and doing what we do,” Cheng said.

“That’s why we have the potential to expand our company beyond the L.A. level.”

CATHERINE ZHANG To freshman year Catherine, You are about to embark on the biggest emotional roller-coaster of your life. As you, the insecure girl, stepped onto campus, you felt overcome with fear over if would even fit in.

Freshman year: You will be bored; but don’t worry, you’ll have more interesting years to follow.)

Sophomore Year: You will feel an attachment to the element Chlorine after befriending “Chemicool” and discover your love of the natural sciences and math. You’ll start to come out of your shell, learning to accept everyone, by covering the “Humans of DBHS” segment.

Junior year: Cramming APUSH the night before tests, memorizing ancient Chinese poetry, solving a never-ending supply of Chemistry questions and failing the quizzes in Moran’, you won’t sleep. However, you begin reaching out and befriending people you never would’ve in the past.

Senior Year: You’ll finally catch up on sleep and meet “Sugadaddieeez” in your Gax-Deductible class, bonding over seemingly nothing at first.

However, this will prove to be the hardest year as you’ll get waitlisted at more schools than you get accepted at. Spending hours buried under your covers sobbing, feeling as if your world is ending, you’ll be utterly and completely crushed, but you will learn to accept destiny.

You’ll ultimately achieve what you have been set on since freshman year—graduating as valedictorian, getting almost perfect standardized test scores, and gaining multiple leadership positions—but at what costs?

You sacrificed your sleep and happiness for merely numbers, regretting your high school decisions.

But ultimately, the highlight of your senior year, and your life, will be realizing that you are just as capable as anyone else, as years of insecurity and low self-confidence come to an end. People will think you’re stupid— perhaps due to your femininity, your obsession with the color baby pink, your selfless personality, or the scarce amount of things you bring to school (in your microscopic backpack)—but you will learn to disregard what others may think of you. You’ll finally learn to hold your head up high, treasure what truly matters, and be immensely proud of who you are as an individual.

To you, freshman Catherine, I hope you enjoy this journey.

Sincerely, Senior year Catherine P.S.: Thank you “Chemicool,” “AP WRECKED,” “Down & Up,” “Teri’s Fan Club,” and “Sugadaddieeez” for providing me countless laughs and making my time in my classes enjoyable. Thank you CSF, Mrs. Matloub and Mrs. Burns for pushing me to be the best I can be. Thank you PAWS and Mr. Valor for giving me an outlet to help animals. And last, but not least, thank you Mr. List and The Bull’s Eye for shaping me into the person I am today and helping me find my voice.

CATHERINE ZHANG WAS ON STAFF FOR THREE YEARS AND WAS PREVIOUSLY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND FEATURE EDITOR.

8 FEATURE

erin li asst. opinion editor

A

s graduation approaches, several seniors will be leave Diamond Bar High School far behind to start the next chapter of their education around the world. After this summer, they will attend schools across the globe.

Among the seniors heading abroad is Stephanie Tang, who plans on attending University of Toronto.

Going into business with a focus in marketing, Tang has had prior experience helping her mother, who does interior design, with her website and other business related aspects.

Tang plans on spending at least two years in Canada with a backup plan of transferring back to an American university. Tang said she hopes to incorporate business with marketing and become a creative director.

Meanwhile, Mia Thacker will be travelling across the ocean to the United Kingdom to attend University College London.

With a childhood dream of studying in England, Thacker’s British citizenship made it easier to pursue European politics in the country where part of her family originated.

“I chose [UCL] because I wanted to be in a big city; it has a lot more opportunities, especially for my major.

It’s one of the alpha cities, so it helps that I’m in the center of whatever happens in the UK,” Thacker said.

THE BULL'S EYE

Thacker was involved in Model United Nations, her middle school debate team and is currently taking French. She plans on staying in Europe and hopes to one day work for the United Nations as an ambassador or in British domestic politics.

Additionally, Angela Liu will travel to Florida to attend Ringling College of Art and Design, one of the top ranking colleges for 3D animation.

Liu was influenced by Hayao Miyazaki, well-known Japanese film director, to focus on 3D animation.

“Whenever I watch his movies, it’s very moving and makes people cry,” Liu said. “It’s very powerful and I want to be able to do the same thing.”

Liu dreams of becoming a 3D animation director in the future and one day leading her own successful animation movie like Miyazaki.

Also going out of state, James Tang has made plans to attend University of Washington in Seattle.

With a focus in industrial engineering, Tang hopes to find new experience in Washington from big companies like Amazon. He also plans on traveling and working in different places, but ultimately wants to return back to California.

“I’ve always been interested in the field of engineering and economics,” Tang said.

He has had prior experience in Northwestern University with the National Student Leadership Conference.

Washington opens up new opportunities and Tang hopes to experience a different environment than Diamond Bar and learn more about society.

MAY 23, 2018

“I think I just want to better the world and [continue] advancing it the way it’s been,” Tang said.

Katherine Cheng will be heading to UCR to major in East Asian studies.

“I really like learning about culture, language and how people interact in different countries,” Cheng said.

Cheng decided to study Asian countries because of the diversity of their culture. She plans on going abroad for a year or two after studying, and hopes to one day teach language and culture, or history.

Kaitlyn Lee will be attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas this following school year.

Exploring her possibilities, Lee visited SMU and fell in love with the campus’ environment and people.

“When I went to visit, I loved the campus. It was recently ranked No. 1 nationally, and it has a gorgeous campus, all the students were very nice and the professors really care for the students at SMU so that’s what really attracted me there,” Lee said.

Instead of following the traditional pre-med track, Lee decided to major in math and hopes to pick up a double major in business or biology, or minor in her second choice or in Chinese. Because SMU is a private school, Lee would be able to achieve her goals with no restrictions.

“I keep reading and researching that it’s been getting increasingly harder to get into med school so I thought being a major outside of bio, biochem or chemistry would make me stand out from other med school applicants,” Lee said. “I also chose mathematics because I feel like it’s something I’m fairly good at.”

THE BULL'S EYE

MAY 23, 2018

9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Switching up the punchline With the rise of streaming services, stand-up comedy has returned to the spotlight. the convenience of the internet, stand-up has received the publicity it has lacked over the past few decades.

Following this growth, Netflix has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on comedians. With over 104 million Netflix paid subscribers, and over 100 Netflix comedy specials, stand-up continues to gain exposure on streaming services. Comedy has grown to a whopping $300 million industry, and people from all over the world want to see what America’s stand-up comedians have to offer.

Successful comedians such as Chris Rock, Jo Koy, John Mulaney, Kevin Hart and Dave Chappelle have gained a following from their internet presence and have brought stand-up back to life, gaining their own shows and deals with Netflix.

Women are joining in on the act as well, with comedians such as Tiffany Haddish, Ali Wong, Rhea Butcher, Aparna Nancherla and Jen Kirkman taking the stage.

Though they are less watched, female comics are slowly rising in popularity.

This is not the only the only thing that has changed about the industry. New forms of stand up include dynamic duos and comedians that incorporate their talents into their routines. For example, well-known comedic pair Key and Peele have shifted from historical event parodies to stand up, and Gabriel Iglesias uses voice impressions to act out the many encounters he’s had.

Comedians often make use of various current events as the source of jokes. Some of the most sensitive issues are tossed around, yet comedians are able to present their take on the subject lightheartedly. For example, one of comedy’s most notable comedians, Chappelle, often comments about racism in America, talking about his life experiences and personal reflection.

However, not all comedians joke about the country’s most debated issues. They bring life experiences, family happenings, parties, drugs and much more, adding their style and a bit of themselves in all their jokes.

As more and more online services provide people with stand up comedy content, the comedy scene will continue to gain stature.

The ideas that come with comedians will get wilder and wilder, as seen from the beginning to the revival of stand-up comedy.

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rom witty one-liners to crude puns, comedy is deeply rooted in the media and entertainment, creating humor for a mainstream audiences. Popular in the 1970s and ‘80s, one form of comedy has made a comeback with the rise of streaming services: stand-up.

A live performance, stand-up creates the opportunity for an audience to enjoy a comedian talking about relatable life experiences, politics or culture. Stand-up can also be a platform where the performer expresses or satirizes their view on controversial topics. Constantly changing, stand-up allows each comedian to reveal a part of themselves to their audience through the style in which they tell their jokes or explain stories.

Modern stand-up, an offshoot of turn-of-the-century vaudeville theater, began in the 1940’s, finding popularity among soldiers and public audiences alike. With the need for laughter during WWII, comedians began to perform to lighten the mood.

Famous names like Bob Hope, Frank Fay and Milton Berle started to gain traction with their unique personalities and humor. Comedians travelled to military bases to ease tensions for soldiers, bringing comedy to frontlines.

In the years that followed, new stand-up comedians gained fame, including Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and Jerry Seinfeld, who became famous on his TV show.

During the 1970s and ‘80s, comedy clubs were popular, providing a constant stream of new stand-ups.

But eventually the trend faded as comics moved to TV and movies. They were everywhere, and standup was left behind. But now, stand-up is back on the map.

In the past few years, stand-up has been reinvigorated with the popularity of the internet. Comedians rely on getting their shows professionally recorded and uploaded onto streaming sites. From Netflix, Hulu to YouTube, live stand-up shows have found an audience from those sitting behind their computer screen. With

Standup comedians Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish and Jen Kirkman (clockwise from top) have grown popular on streaming services.

Jo Koy (top) and Ali Wong both have a net worth of over $1.5 million.

DESIGN BY AMELIE LEE

10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MAY 23, 2018

THE BULL'S EYE

Noteworthy major for musicians Clarissa Antoine

Ryan Chao

EMILY JACOBSSON Four years have passed by way too quickly right? It’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly how I’ve changed since freshman year. In fact, I’m tempted to say I’m the same naive and confused 14-yearold Emily, and I’m scared to go out into the big scary world.

I’ve only done the laundry twice, my mom makes all my haircut appointments, and I zone out every time my dad tries to explain “adult” responsibilities to me. It feels like I lack all of the skills needed to function as an independent young adult. But when I looked closely back at my four years at DBHS, I can see that every experience I’ve had and all the people who have shared them with me has created a better version of Emily Jacobsson—maybe even a version that’s ready to finally grow up.

The stressful late nights I’ve spent studying have been a lesson in hard work. I may not have naturally been the smartest student in any of my classes, and I definitely will not be in college, but through the blood, sweat and tears, I’ve learned that I am just as capable.

I look back on the especially overwhelming days where everything seems to have gone wrong and I can’t seem to stop myself from crying, and realize that all of my problems were resolved within days. As a chronic worrier, I learned the most valuable lesson possible for myself: with time, everything works itself out.

Each day I spend in the journalism room, I seem to learn something new from the passionate individuals I’ve been blessed enough to work with. Whether it be Pauline insisting to me in detail that the human race originated from Africa, or Ryan trying to explain a completely obsolete reference that only he cares about, I’m inspired by each staff member to live unapologetically. From The Bull’s Eye, I’ve learned the value in a team that loves each other like family.

And from the moments of wholesome joy I’ve shared with my closest friends where the sun seems to shine a little brighter and I am oblivious to the negativity in the world, I’ve learned how to enjoy life. All the stress, failure, and doubt that is guaranteed with life doesn’t seem to stand a chance against the genuine laughter shared between my friends and I. I’d easily pick clear, concrete plans over any sort of spontaneity, so the blurry uncertainty of what’s ahead makes me a little uncomfortable. Like many others, I have no idea what I want to do or who I want to be, but for once, I’m not worried. We’ll all figure it out soon.

Until then, let’s all live happily and healthily.

Here’s to the future!

PS: Thanks Mr. List Love You! EMILY JACOBSSON WAS ON STAFF FOR THREE YEARS AND WAS PREVIOUSLY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND A&E EDITOR.

Hampton Douglas

Rachel Kim

Grace lee ASST. opinion Editor In a sea of seniors who are pursuing careers in STEM, a handful of Diamond Bar High School seniors will have a future filled with notes and harmonies. They will be heading to music conservatories to continue advancing their education in music.

Seniors Clarissa Antoine and Ryan Chao are travelling beyond California to pursue their passions in the music industry.

Eliana Lontok, Hampton Douglas and Angelina Kim will also attend out-of-state colleges, majoring in music at Boston University, Northwestern University and New York University, respectively. Remaining closer to home to further their interest in their instruments, Rachel Kim will attend USC, Ethan Holmes will attend UCLA and Nicholas Lucero will attend CSU Fullerton.

Antoine will be continuing her musical endeavors at Oberlin Conservatory of Music by majoring in oboe performance. She was first introduced to the oboe after her brother suggested that she play the obscure instrument.

With nearly eight years of experience, Antoine decided that she was going to audition for Oberlin after hearing about the interactions students have with the faculty. Antoine expects to spend most of her time surrounded by fellow music majors.

“I’ll probably just be with the other musicians, and that’s something that I was never really able to get while in high school because at a conservatory, everyone there will be going for the same thing... just trying to be a music major,” Antoine said.

Meanwhile, Kim, who has seven years of experience with the french horn, has her sights set on a career in the entertainment industry and becoming a teacher. Kim wants to play horn for movie soundtracks, which influenced her decision on which universities

she auditioned for.

“Since USC is in the heart of downtown LA, it’s the perfect place for me to start getting exposed to the recording industry,” Kim said. “A lot of the faculty have done records for Star Wars or Disney movies, so I thought it’d be a great opportunity if I were accepted to work with them and see the behind-thescenes of starting your career in recording.”

Attending Northwestern University in the fall, Douglas will major in percussion performance. Douglas had experimented with various instruments before finally settling on percussion in sixth grade.

“I started on the trumpet in fifth grade... and then I wanted to change something up in sixth grade so I played the clarinet for a few weeks, and that didn’t turn out so well,” Douglas said. “I just ended up like, ‘The guys in the back , they’re having fun, so I’ll just start playing percussion.’”

Douglas applied for Northwestern due to the connection that he had with the faculty. She-e Wu, the associate professor in the music department, visited Douglas’ middle school during the summer and encouraged him to audition for the university.

Also majoring in percussion performance, Chao will attend Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

Chao was convinced to audition for Indiana when he discovered the school has four full-time percussion faculty members. While Indiana’s music program is bigger than most music programs across the nation, according to Chao, the one-on-one interaction that percussionists have with all of the professors allows a more specialized attention.

Chao hopes to eventually settle down with a professional orchestra, and possibly become an instructor.

“I think one of the biggest thing is how my teachers have inspired me,” Chao said. “I really want to go on to help other young musicians to find their instrument, their voice.”

Tristen baca The junior sells her portraits online, finding art therapeutic renee elefante ASST. NEWS Editor For Diamond Bar High School junior Tristen Baca, artistic talent runs in her family. With both her grandmothers and mother as artists, Baca is following in their footsteps, selling paintings and sketches on Etsy and Instagram.

Baca’s first selling opportunity took place at a friend’s art show, where she sold high-quality reprints of her work. After gaining a following, Baca developed an Etsy account, as well as an Instagram page. She takes requests via direct messaging on Instagram, requiring a payment of $10 to $20, depending on the cost of creating and printing the paintings. So far, she has sold several of her prints. “[The overall experience] can be very frustrating,” Baca said.

“A lot of people don’t understand how much effort and money goes into it.

As much as it is a hobby and therapeutic for me, it’s also work.”

While some artists create their best work when spirits are low, Baca said that she can’t draw when she is upset, as it ne g atively affects her drawing. Instead, her inspiration stems

Photo courtesy of TRISTEN BACA

Junior Tristen Baca sells requested art prints and on Instagram and Esty, following in the footsteps of her family. from people, fantasy elements like witches and fairies and personal emotions, which, according to Baca, help to make regular portraits more interesting.

One of Baca’s favorite pieces includes a series of portraits related to horse ghosts.

“I look at other artists’ work and try and use that style and make it my own,” Baca said.

Baca focuses on line work, a form of stylistic art that uses pens

and ink, but she is also familiar with watercolor, acrylic and oil painting. Despite her artistic versatility, Baca paints exclusively in portrait.

“I do more portraits than landscapes because I hate landscapes,” Baca said.

Baca takes after her mother, a freelance artist who focuses on abstract artwork but is not limited to that style. Baca said that her mother can create images from her imagination and emotions, but while Baca hopes to eventually develop this skill, she currently needs visual inspiration Both of Baca’s grandmothers paint on canvases and ceramic

bowls as a hobby, while one of the women also does geometrical paintings.

In the future, Baca hopes to go to farmer’s markets for more selling opportunities and also hopes to attend Ontario College of Art and Design University, a public art school in Toronto.

“I don’t really know what direction I’m headed in, whether it’s graphic design or freelance or anything, because I have a lot of options and I like all the arts,” Baca said. “I have a lot of diversity in those subjects [theatre and music]. I just mostly want to go to an art school so I can find what I want to do.”

THE BULL'S EYE

MAY 23, 2018

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

11

Writing her script for success Amelie lee editor-in-chief From singing as a spirited hairstylist to an anxiety-ridden crab, Diamond Bar High School senior Amelia Anijielo is used to being in the spotlight. This past month, Anijielo has gained recognition for her performance in Diamond Bar High School’s spring musical “The Little Mermaid,” receiving a nomination from The Spirit of Macy Awards.

Chosen to attend a callback for “Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical,” Anijielo is competing against 14 other high schoolers in California for a

AMELIE LEE

chance to perform in New York.

By sending judges all across California, the Spirit of Macy Awards aims to recognize talent in musical theater in high school students.

After witnessing hundreds of performances, judges nominate standout performances, then allow contenders a chance to audition for the award.

Involved in the Diamond Bar theater program since her freshman year, Anijielo has played characters ranging from the witch in “Into the Woods” and Daniela from “In the Heights.” Anijielo has won multiple awards in theater, including the London Academy of Music Arts award, as well as placing third in acting at the California State Festival this past year. With her most recent performance as Sebastian the Crab in “The Little Mermaid,” Anijielo hopes to take her performance to a bigger audience.

“I usually play comedic characters, and I love seeing people smile and making people laugh. I feel happy when I can influence other people to enjoy or join theater, I can connect with so many people,” Anijielo said.

Anijielo will audition at the Rose Center Theater on May 24, performing “If Only” from “The Little Mermaid” soundtrack, as well as a piece titled “Random Black Girl,”

by Kooman + Diamond. Anijielo said that she hopes to be able to draw from her connection to the songs to impress the judges, relating the lyrics to her own life. “‘If Only’ centers around how [Sebastian] wishes he could do more for Ariel, but he can’t because he’s just a crab,” Anijielo said. “It reminds me of the

THEATER ON P. 12

AMELIE LEE

John Tai taught himself to play the mandolin and uses it to compose music.

Music elevated through foreign strings emily koh staff writer While the term “string instrument” might not bring up images of a mandolin to most students, freshman John Tai spends his free time playing this esoteric instrument.

Tai has been playing the violin since he was eight and just recently began composing music. As he was looking for a unique string instrument to compose his music with, Tai discovered the mandolin two months ago and developed a knack for it.

“I bought a ukulele first and I tried to tune it like a violin, but it ended but sounding really bad. I searched online to see if there was anything I could work with and I found the mandolin it was a perfect fit,” Tai said.

Tai used his experience from playing violin to self-teach himself how to play the mandolin. While the mandolin is less common among people in America, it has visual and auditory similarities to the guitar and violin. The instrument has eight strings, and is strummed similarly in the style of

a guitar.

“I really recommend that people who actually play the violin pick up this instrument. It’s a lot of fun and can help improve on aspects of the violin you don’t normally work on,” Tai said.

Although Tai originally bought his mandolin with the attention of adding new sounds to his music, he no longer utilizes it for his songwriting.

Instead, he plays the instrument as a hobby and form of entertainment and a way to escape from the stress of being a high school student.

“Every chance I get, I plug in my earbuds and write down ideas for tunes I can make, or just pick up the mandolin and play some songs,” Tai said.

Tai is involved in symphony orchestra in the Diamond Bar program as well as the Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra. He enjoys playing songs from anime and the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” along with original pieces he creates.

“I think that music plays a central role in my life. It’s literally the only thing that interests me,” Tai said.

Escaping into a world of music emily koh staff writer Two evenings of dance allowed audiences to escape into a world of music and expression, as presented by Diamond Bar High School’s Dance Department for its spring concert.

Titled “Escape,” the show was performed May 10 and 11, showcasing pieces choreographed by students, along with several competition routines.

The concert started with dance team’s dramatic competition piece “So it Begins,” a lyrical dance full of intensity and emotion.

The concert featured multiple soloists, including senior Angelica Fuentes who beautifully choreographed an elegant and graceful routine to “Oceans,” by Hillsong.

Senior Zach Chan also stood out with his upbeat hip-hop and breakdance routine “Moving.” Chan’s spirit was seen when he lost a shoe, having to take off the other one mid-routine.

Beginning dance performed an ensemble piece to the upbeat song, “Spice Up Your Life.” The routine was fun and entertaining, while intermediate dance performed a piece to the well-known song “Somebody That I used to Know.”

One of the most entertaining pieces was “Windmill Kidz,” which was performed by members from the dance company and advanced

Photos by AMELIE LEE

Emily Teng (left) and Brian Wen performed in the “Escape” themed DBHS dance department concert on May 11. dance sophomore Esha Sharma to the song “Can’t Stop the Music.”

The routine was clearly inspired by the viral video clip from the TV show “Emu’s TV Series,” where the actors on the show introduce themselves through song and begin dancing and singing in 1980s fitness instructor style. The dancers dressed like the actors in bright colors and tutus and mimicked some of the moves, while incorporating their own.

Another memorable performance was the hip-hop style “Chunky but Funky,” choreo-

graphed by senior Angela Yamboa to the hit song “Finesse” by Bruno Mars and Cardi B, and performed by members from the Dance Company. With colorful outfits and bold movements, the piece was fun to watch.

Utilizing the emotion from the song “This is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” members from the Dance Company performed “This is Us.” In addition, the lyrical duet between junior Katherine Tran and senior Timothy Young was incredibly moving as the two danced to Sam Smith’s song “Life

Support.”

Another amusing routine was “All Types of Love” where the group of All-Male performers pretended to debate about what love really is, with freshman Brian Wen dancing with a rainbow pride flag.

The performance was extremely funny, while bringing a more meaningful message to the stage.

To finish off the action packed night, the All-Male dance crew performed their routine labeled “Clocks,” and left the captivated audience energized and wishing for an encore

PAULINE WOODLEY I didn’t know it at the time, but the first day I stepped into Room 563, I decided to major in Journalism. I found bits and pieces of myself in that room and it wasn’t perfect, but I loved every second.

The people in that room offered me solstice from the large campus of Diamond Bar High School. And I hate to make this sound like an Oscar acceptance speech, but these past four years have felt like an award and there is no better way to display my gratitude, so here it goes.

Mr. List, without being conscience of it, you gave me the courage I needed to pursue Journalism as a career choice. The way you carry yourself, even after becoming a teacher, showed me that one never stops being a journalist.

With each story and insight into your opinions and personal life, I saw a person constantly in search of the truth and consistently aware of his own. Thank you Mr. List, I promise I’ll make you proud.

To Arts & Entertainment, the section that felt like it was made for me, thank you. You made me more aware of the world around me.

You allowed me to find a home in the importance of pop culture, social media and a more lighthearted version of journalism that everyone needs from time to time.

Thank you for being my outlet for any story idea, layout and form of media that came to my mind. I hope that A&E offered the readers as much of an escape as it did for me.

To the seniors who graduated the year I was a freshman, specifically Emily Wong, there are not enough ways I can thank you for pairing me up with one of my best friends, Emily Jacobsson.

Together we led A&E into a direction I’m proud of and created an undeniable bond along the way. I treasured every conversation we had together, no matter how small, and I hope to have many more in the future.

Each friendship formed in Room 563 holds a special place in my heart and I hope more than anything that this family will stay together despite the miles and miles of separation.

Here’s to every cringey inside joke, every long deadline night and every extremely productive eye meeting. I wouldn’t have traded a single second spent with any of you (except maybe the seconds spent with Ted; just kidding Ted, I love you).

As the next generation of journalists take over, led by my amazing ex-assistant Amy Miyahara and the new head of A&E Amelie Lee, I want to remind you to cherish every second of being on The Bull’s Eye and help Mr. List keep his remaining sanity. I believe in each of you and I know The Bull’s Eye will continue to be great.

PS: Thanks Mr. List Love You! (insert handshake here) PAULINE WOODLEY WAS ON STAFF FOR THREE YEARS AND WAS PREVIOUSLY A&E EDITOR.

12 BUSINESS

THE BULL'S EYE

10 students to Ivies IVIES FROM P. 1

TESS GUAN As someone who has spent a majority of her lunches sheltered inside classrooms, I am no more or no less than a committed introvert.

Without a doubt, friendship has always been a concept foreign to me, and it never held much appeal to me either. The fact is, bluntly, that you don’t absolutely need friends— plural— in high school; freshman me (who only had one friend) believed friendship was just a facade, and freshman me was mostly correct.

Of course, I am not completely neglectful of those around me.

While I do not typically involve myself with others my age (I have about four friends), I do enjoy the company of staff members. As weird as that sounds, I have talked to teachers more than I have talked to classmates, hence my senior quote: “my best friends for four years have been old white men.”

The quote doesn’t refer to strangers I’ve met at the gas station (I can’t drive), but to the teachers and GLC who have made high school much more lively. Of course, things have changed since I’ve submitted my quote, and I now have more teachers, female now, to add to my list.

To start off, thank you Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Lee for making subjects I’ve struggled with (and in fact, still do) so entertaining to learn. Never in my life would I have envisioned myself cracking jokes about the Lame Duck Amendment, yet here I am. On a similar note, I found myself looking forward to math (on days we did not have tests, obviously), simply for the amusement Mrs. Thomas provides, whether it’s the strangely comprehensible, nonverbal sounds made, or stories of awkward teaching experiences.

Thank you Mr. Desmond, for withstanding all my emotional breakdowns every year. I still haven’t forgotten the forced game of football (yes, I played catch with my GLC), along with the carrot cake and gas station snacks given to me in efforts to calm me from explosive, teary-eyed outbursts.

Thank you Mr. Roubian, for being one of the best teachers of all time, even beyond your teaching. All the boy advice and appreciation for The Bull’s Eye have proved to be the greatest gifts.

And to Mr. List, who remained my loyal friend and lunch companion through most of my high school life, thank you for being clueless on the computer, appreciative of my food, accepting of my regular insults and a patient listener to every crazy thing that has ever happened to me.

Pessimism radiates off of me constantly, and it is quite possibly this negative aura that becomes a conversation killer to most people.

Regardless of the demeanor I’ve represented, I’m grateful to have met people (all ages included) who have seen past my hard outer shell.

TESS GUAN WAS ON STAFF FOR THREE YEARS AND WAS PREVIOUSLY BUSINESS EDITOR AND WEB EDITOR.

to study visual arts at Columbia.

“I never really thought of Columbia as an option for me, so when I did get accepted it was really shocking and surprising for me,” Shi said.

As an artist whose accomplishments include winning the Congressional Art Competition and the 17th Annual National Holocaust Art and Writing Contest, Shi points out the artistic merits of New York City as one of the deciding factors for why she wanted to attend there.

“New York City is such a vibrant community, and I think it’s really important for me as a growing artist to want to be surrounded by other people who also share my ambitions,” Shi said.

Su will also be traveling to New York to attend Cornell as a human biology, health and society major.

“It was one of the few schools that actually had the major which I wanted,” Su said. “I didn’t expect much; I mean, I was expecting rejection and just being able to see [my acceptance] really shocked me.”

During his time in high school, Su was the vice president of the Claremont Pomona chapter of the Red Cross executive board, concertmaster of the DBHS con-

cert orchestra and a youth board member of the San Gabriel Valley Pomona Red Cross Board of Directors.

While he was also accepted to UC Berkeley and UCLA, Su ultimately decided to attend Cornell because of the atmosphere created by the people there.

“It wasn’t really just a bookworm kind of environment,” Su said. “It was a work hard, play hard environment which I thought was really well into what I personally view myself as and I think I would fit in there the best.”

Also leaving California behind is To, who will be attending Princeton University in New Jersey as an environmental engineering major.

“It was kind of like a spur of the moment,” To said. “I wasn’t really expecting to get in.”

To, who was also accepted to Cornell, UC Berkeley and Georgia Tech, ultimately decided to attend Princeton because Princeton offers certificate programs that allow students to pursue both arts and sciences.

“I like the STEM side, but I also like the art side,” To said. “I felt like there’s very few schools out there that support that idea.

[Princeton] really encourages that kind of out-of-the-traditionalbounds education.”

Actress nominated THEATER FROM P. 11 way my mom does everything she can for me… she wishes she could do and get more involved.”

After becoming a finalist in the Musical category at the California State Festival while singing “Random Black Girl,” Anijielo said that the song reminded her of how society views minorities, and the importance of diverse representation in theater.

“I don’t always want to be typecast as the stereotypical black loud character. It’s a comedic song, and I wanted to announce ‘Here’s who

I am,’ and show that I can sing,” Anijielo said.

Anijielo hopes to pursue theater and acting in the future, taking a double major in theater and neuroscience at UCR this fall.

Working with a production company over the summer, Anijielo hopes to one day own her own film company and eventually explore directing.

“I feel really happy to be recognized for this award, I’m really fortunate and I’m constantly grateful for Mr. Kaitz and the rest of the cast always rooting for me and cheering me on,” Anijielo said.

MAY 23, 2018

THE BULL'S EYE

MAY 23, 2018

SPORTS

13

DB athletes commit to universities Eleven Brahmas will be continuing their playing careers at the collegiate level this fall.

MAGGIE LIU ASST. A&E Editor Balancing challenging classes, complicated schedules and countless games throughout high school has paid off for 11 DBHS seniors committing to universities to participate in sports at the collegiate level.

Five Brahmas will be continuing their swimming careers in college: Kelsey Lloyd is signed to University of the Pacific, Kelly Cheng to Northeastern University, Michael Lee to Claremont McKenna, David Wang to Columbia University and Matthew Waddell to Harvey Mudd.

Girl’s varsity soccer players Samantha Blazek and Valerie Swisher will play at York College and Westmont College, respectively.

Meanwhile, Crystal Wang will join the University of Illinois’ golf team, Hannah Murray the Azusa Pacific water polo team, Christian Killian the University of La Verne baseball team and Elizabeth Wilson the San Diego Christian College softball team.

While many of these student athletes found their passion in high school, a few of them began to

AMELIE LEE

Christian Killian (left) will play for the University of La Verne and Valerie Swisher will play for Westmont College. discover their talents at a younger age.

Usually five-year-olds prioritize watching television and having playdates with friends, but at the time Swisher was already focused on playing soccer.

“I started [playing] at first because my parents made me try it when I was younger and I really liked it so I stuck with it,” the Lady Brahma said.

While in high school, Swisher was already looking ahead at the possibility of playing at a higher level. With years of experience under her belt, Swisher has many plans for her future in the world of soccer and athletics.

“I hope to make an impact on

my college team and hopefully win a national title one year,” she said. “After college, I hope to start my own business regarding sports training.”

Also starting at a young age, Lee began swimming competitively at the age of 10. At first it was simply a fun summer activity, but it slowly turned more serious.

“Eventually [swimming recreationally] sort of evolved into going to meets and just having my family behind, supporting me, was really encouraging to continue swimming,” Lee said.

When Lee became involved in swimming at DBHS, he found a driven and welcoming environment that helped him develop his

CALVIN RU

passion for the sport.

“Swimming in high school gave me the experience of what it would be like if I was on a team that really supported one another and that wasn’t embarrassed or afraid in doing so,” Lee said. “It was really a special experience and it was really eye-opening for me because it made me want to continue to be part of something bigger.”

Although competitive swimming in college is vastly different to swimming in high school, Lee is excited for the change.

“I’m looking forward to testing and expanding my limits and horizons and honestly can’t wait, the swimmer said. “It wouldn’t be any fun if it wasn’t challenging.”

Brahma teams will face new opponents Next season, teams will be moving from the Palomares League to the Mt. Baldy League.

AMELIE LEE

Junior Andy Tsai continues to practice tennis after the tournament, preparing for next season when the team moves to Mt. Baldy League.

Boys season ends short with CIF playoff loss

TENNIS After going 10-2 in league, Brahmas lost against the CIF champions in first round of the tourney. ryan lam ASST. sports Editor As the Diamond Bar High School boys tennis season came to a close, the team was unable to keep their title of Palomares League Champions after losing to long-time rival, Claremont, on April 24. The Brahmas ended league with a record of 10-2, both losses coming from the Wolfpack.

“We didn’t quite get there, but it happens, you get ups and downs in the league,” head coach Carl Flint said. “But, I’m really happy not just with the scores or performances, but our team is extremely solid. Sometimes the score doesn’t go your way, but in terms of our depth, I don’t think we’ve ever had this depth for a long time.”

The Brahmas wrapped up the season losing to Claremont 11-7, but dominating South Hills 15-3, ultimately placing second in the Palomares League and earning a spot in the CIF Southern Sectional playoffs. The team lost to Harvard Westlake, 16-2 in the first round of CIF, on April 9.

“Every game counts because

there were multiple matches this season that were a 9-9 tie. As a result, we had to count the total game score amount to determine the winner, and we always came out on top by a very slim margin,” doubles player Victor Chai said.

“We knew that they would be a great team because they had won CIF last year and had several great players. But we played to the best of our ability and in general we were happy with how we performed even if we didn’t pull out the win,” singles player Akilan Arunachalam said.

With the season over, several key seniors will be moving on. Four of the six starters in the doubles lineup will be graduating, leaving a hole to fill with remaining doubles starters juniors Royce Park and Victor Chai. However, the Brahmas won’t be seeing their current rivals next season, as they will be moving from the Palomares League to the Mt. Baldy League, which isn’t considered as strong a league as Palomares.

“If everyone plays according the way they know how to play, we should definitely dominate,” Flint said. “There are some other teams that are moving into that league, that are also strong, but everyone has to come back and play their game, and we should definitely be in a strong position to take the league.”

in the Mt. Baldy League have a girls golf team, which gives DB’s girls golf team the options to either join a different league or to find another high school willing to take them in as a part of their team.

“Girls golf is going to be in a elizabeth peng position where they have to just ASST. NEWS Editor play independent, which for the most part is going to work better After spending the past four for them because they just focus on years in the Palomares League, DiCIF competition,” Lim said. amond Bar High School’s athletic Also, some of the sports at the teams are in for a change of scenother schools do not have frosh ery. teams, so Diamond Bar’s athletic During the 2018-2019 school year, program will have to find a way DBHS will switch to the Mt. Baldy to create games for the lower level League, where teams will compete players. against Ontario, Don Lugo, Chino, “It is still going to be competMontclair and Chaffey for the next itive, so it’s not like it’s going to two years. be a cakewalk...This will give us Every four years, representaa chance to kind of rebuild everytives from the 42 high schools in thing and really solidify our plan the Mt. SAC area gather together to in terms of focusing on growth and set up the seven athletic leagues in development and really just being the region. At this meeting,schools in a position to be successful in the can request to move to a difMt. Baldy league, which will ferent league. allow us to propel Their appeals hopefully back are considered into the Palo“This will give us a with regard mares League,” chance to rebuild to the schools’ Lim said. everything and solidify overall athletic DBHS is not our plan in terms of performances. the only school focusing on growth “We had felt leaving the Paloand development." that for the mares League. majority of our South Hills ALBERT LIM sports that we will transfer to weren’t able the Hacienda to [provide] a League. competitive In addition, team to represent the school in the Chino will move to the Mt. Baldy Palomares League so they decided League, while Colony and Alta to move us out to a more competLoma will switch from Mt. Baldy to itive league for our sports teams,” Palomares.

DBHS athletic director Albert Lim This is not the first time DB said. switched leagues, as the school The schools in the Mt. Baldy switched from the Hacienda area have lower division teams League to the Palomares League than the schools in the Palomares in 2014.

League. However, as Diamond “We are excited about the opporBar’s athletic program moves into tunity to have more competition the Mt. Baldy League for the 2018and having a chance to build the 2019 school year, the sport teams sports morale of our school,” Diaon campus anticipate many more mond Bar Principal Reuben Jones challenges. said in an article in the San Gabriel For example, none of the schools Valley Tribune.

INGRID CHAN Coming into DBHS as a freshman, my personality was reserved to say the least. To others, my presence was unnoticeable and rarely of consequence. I never really went out of my way to bother, talk to, or do things with other people unless they approached me first, and I was content to keep it that way. For me, I didn’t have a single problem with being a simple observer of those around me-- a side character.

But Bull’s Eye changed that for me. The moment I became a staff writer, I somehow knew that my approach to life wasn’t going to get me anywhere in the long run. Within my first year on staff, I saw everyone connecting with and building lifelong bonds with each other. Yet here I was, alone and utterly out of place. A total stranger amidst a tight-knit family.

I don’t think I can ever properly express how amazed I was at the growth of their relationships within such a short span of time.

And I’m not ashamed to admit that I was a bit jealous. But it was truly a treat just to experience the atmosphere of a genuine student family from the sidelines. Despite how I enjoyed just listening, looking, and laughing from a distance, the vague, vicarious feelings it gave me made me wish I could be a part of something similar.

I’d say it was sometime in my junior year that my personality did a complete one-eighty. It took a lot of perseverance, but I tried my best to put myself out there and say whatever came to mind.

To initiate conversations and proactively make new acquaintances. Of course, I was still the same socially-awkward teenager on the inside, but I faked it until I made it. It was only after the half-year mark that I truly felt like a different person. Someone who could speak without overthinking my words--someone who actually happened to know a lot of people on campus and could cling onto many of them without being annoying.

But there’s always a catch. No matter how much I wanted to, I could never break out of my shell when it came to Bull’s Eye. Perhaps it’s because I already established a somewhat quiet image among the group, but I still found it extremely difficult to even hold conversations properly. It was like living two different lives: one existed inside the journalism classroom, and the other was everywhere else.

It was nobody’s fault but my own.

However, despite the fact that I never really clicked with everyone else, I cannot put into words how grateful I am for how Bull’s Eye changed me for the better.

Even if I haven’t gotten close to many people on staff, I sincerely want to thank everyone who has dealt with my articles, and especially the family that inspired me to make myself a better person.

INGRID CHAN WAS ON STAFF FOR THREE YEARS AND WAS PREVIOUSLY ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR.

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SPORTS

MAY 23, 2018

THE BULL'S EYE

Girls rebuild their fundamentals SOFTBALL The Brahmas make more improvements in their game for next year’s season.

NIA MITCHELL ASST. BUSINESS Manager

RYAN CHAE Time is a fickle aspect of our lives. One moment, it flies right past us. In the next, it crawls as slow as a snail. While our minds keep fighting to determine whether it’s fast or slow, the end always seems to surprise us.

Looking back on high school, the last thing I expected to do as a senior was to sound like a Panda Express fortune cookie.

Yet, there seems to be no other way to express my feelings without expressing cliches.

Four years is the equivalent of 1,460 days, 35,040 hours or 140,160 minutes, numbers that my mind can’t believe. But even after all that time has passed, I can still vividly remember so many memories from my four years of high school.

From cramming for the AP European History Exam at the Diamond Bar Library as a sophomore to spending countless nights just sitting with friends at Boba Time, every single moment has stored itself in the bookshelves of my brain. And looking back on my collection of both exhilarating and dull memories, there is not a single moment I regret.

I have heard many say how they hated high school and only looked forward toward the end of it, and to be honest, that was me just last year.

This year, I probably spent the most energy of my life as I wrote college applications, tutored kids and dealt with schoolwork. I should be relishing in my final days as a senior, knowing that the end is near, but shockingly, I’m going to miss it.

Though I will most definitely not miss the work, the projects and the AP tests, I am going to miss having the opportunity to experience life everyday with friends and learning from some of the best mentors I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.

But most importantly, I will miss being apart of the same class I have been apart with since the August of 2014: Journalism. While some people may find their callings in high school as athletes, dancers or musicians, I’m proud to say that I found my place as a journalist.

Ten years ago, I remember crying and ripping up my journals that I could not write for the life of me, but a decade later, I graduate from Diamond Bar High School having written 90 stories, helped publish over 20 issues and interviewed dozens of unique individuals. I spent countless nights and hours writing and editing on all topics from weekly DBHS football games to opinions on immigration. I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most diverse and intelligent individuals I have ever met as well as learning from the best advisor in any group.

Sure, I missed hours upon hours of sleep and gained a few gray hairs here and there, but like all my memories of high school, I don’t regret a single thing.

RYAN CHAE WAS ON STAFF FOR THREE YEARS AND WAS PREVIOUSLY SPORTS EDITOR.

Diamond Bar High School softball team looked like a powerhouse in its final game of the season, dominating Claremont, 13-2. But an earlier six-game losing streak during league competition left them in fifth place, finishing with a 6-9 record.

According to junior Carolyn Deutsch, the girls motivation during the game was knowing that this was the last game of the season and they wanted to finish strong.

The girls scored five runs in the first inning of the game. Sophomore Emily Ruhl and senior Elizabeth Wilson both helped the team by scoring three runs each, while Ruhl also had a homerun and four RBI. “I feel like it was a learning process for all of us and we are extremely young. We started five sophomores and two freshmen so we are excited for the future and I feel like the groundwork was laid for great things in the coming years,” head coach Kurt Davies said.

Top performers included soph-

AMELIE LEE

Sophomore Liliana Ruvalcaba bats in a 4-2 loss against South Hills. The team finished league with a 6-9 record. omore Sarah Zepeda, who had a batting average of .475 along with seniors Ellen Lasko, who hit .348, and Wilson, who batted .340.

While the record was disappointing, Davies said the team took major steps toward success for following seasons, despite their losing record.

“This season went well, I enjoyed the relationship with the girls and I think that we took a lot of positive strides that are going to help build

a good foundation for the future,” the first-year softball coach said.

Although they struggled during the second half of the season, the girls were still able to learn from their daily practices.

“We tried to have a standard practice plan that we followed every day and I believe that the key to having a successful season is continuity and doing your best to work hard everyday and then take it out on the field in games,” Davies said.

Ultimately, the team will take this season as a learning process to better themselves for the future.

“I think that this softball season was a good beginning for a new era of varsity softball. We learned more about our strengths and weaknesses. We will use this season as a building block for bigger and better things by building on the foundation that we have established this year,” sophomore Liliana Ruvalcaba said.

Boys end season as CIF runner-up AMELIE LEE

Junior Thomas Ear practices for distance events with his teammates.

A record breaking season

TRACK AND FIELD DBHS exceeded expectations with multiple individuals placing in CIF finals.

TIFFANY LEE asst. PHOTO EDITOR Though the track and field season did not end with a winning streak for Diamond Bar High School, there were many individual highlights throughout the season and at CIF. The boys finished 3-2 in the league, beating Bonita, Glendora and South Hills, and losing to Claremont and Ayala. The girls were 1-4 in the league, only beating South Hills. During league finals held on May 2, the girls placed fourth and the boys placed fifth out of six teams.

Five individual athletes and two relay teams competed in CIF prelims on May 12 at Trabuco Hills High School in Mission Viejo.

Among the competitors were senior Samantha Blazek, sophomore Marissa Vasquez and the boys varsity 4x400 relay team. Both individual runners qualified for CIF-SS finals. Vasquez placed fifth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:14:16.

Blazek placed ninth in shot-put, with a distance of 36 feet 8.5 inches, placing her fifth on the list of Top 10 DBHS scores of all time.

The boys varsity 4x400 meters relay team, consisting of juniors Kailen Smith, Timothy Lee, freshmen Jayden Sanchez and senior Christopher Cardozo earned a per-

sonal record with a time of 3:27, which earned them the 10th on the Top 10 list of DBHS times.

Vasquez went on becoming the CIF Division 1 800 meters champion on May 19, breaking her school record with a time of 2:11.98.

Even though the girls team finished league with a losing record, several female athletes found individual success and even managed to break school records.

Senior Clara Ru broke the school record for the 100 meters hurdles event and placed second overall in the league finals. Although this was her first year competing in the hurdles event, she was able to break the record by a tenth of a second, with a time of 15.89 seconds.

Blazek had another successful season, after winning the league champion for the shot put event.

This season, she was duel league champion in both the shot put and discus event.

“I was also able to become more aware of myself, meaning my various forms to throw,” Blazek said via text.

Due to the lack of funding from the district, the track and field team will not be competing in pole vault and high jump events next season, according to coach Cooke. For the track and field team, the district provides for only five coaches, leaving the track team to pay for extra coaches with their team budget.

“In order to save money, I have decided to not pay for any coaches that are not covered by district stipends next year... which means we will not have high jump or pole vault teams next year, “ Cooke said.

SWIM Brahmas swim team’s dominant performance in League carries over to CIF. JOSH KIM asst. A&E EDITOR After a nearly undefeated year, the Diamond Bar High School varsity swim team ended the season with a cannonball finish. The boys left other teams in the Palomares League washed up with a record of 8-0, while the girls finished strong with an overall record of 5-2.

In the Palomares League finals, held at the DBHS pool, the boys remaining the undefeated league champions for the fourth year in a row while the girls team placed fourth. At finals, multiple individual swimmers were crowned, such as junior Kevin Vargas, who was named MVP of the league. Vargas placed first in the varsity boys 200 IM and 500 free. Other swimmers who excelled included Kelly Cheng, who placed third in the 200 freestyle as well as second place in the 100 butterfly and William Huang, who placed first in the 100 freestyle.

However, the Brahmas were not able to bring home the CIF title,

as the boys placed second with a score of 205 and girls placed 15th with a score of 83. In addition, senior Kelsey Lloyd won first place in the 100 breaststroke.

“This year was kind of tough for me, as I had to overcome a couple of injuries. So I had to push through those and still have good swim times,” Lloyd said.

This year’s swim team was led

by Lloyd and freshman Vincent Cheng, both of whom broken school and personal records. Lloyd had broken the girl’s 100 breaststroke record in her sophomore year after winning CIF, and has continually been breaking records ever since. Her most recent record is 1:02.07, set last year at CIF state.

Cheng, on the other hand, has set and broke his own record twice for the boy’s 100 butterfly, beating his 51.83 second score by .03 seconds.

“Being part of the Diamond Bar swim team has been a fun experience that changed me to get out of my comfort zone,” Cheng said.

Head coach Darlys Ankeny said she was pleased with the performance of this year’s team and is looking forward to next season. “[We] still need more team camaraderie,” Ankeny said. “It’s [graduating seniors] going to hurt quite a bit; we still have some great talent though.”

AMELIE LEE

Freshman Stephen Lee competed in breaststroke for the boys at League Finals.

THE BULL'S EYE

MAY 23, 2018

SPORTS

15

Golf lands on the green to finish the season GOLF The boys came out on top in the Palomares League to earn a chance to compete at CIF.

AMELIE LEE

Senior Joshua Lee competed in the team’s first CIF match against San Marino.

No surprise: No. 7 BADMINTON After defeating Arcadia 156, the Brahmas win yet another CIF title.

JohNNy wang asst. Sports Editor No one should be surprised by this news: Diamond Bar High School badminton team has proven their dominance yet again, winning its seventh consecutive CIF title.

In the first match of the tournament, the Brahmas took a 13-0 lead during the beginning of the match against San Marino, limiting them to a single win in the entire set of games. The final score was 20-1.

The team then moved onto the CIF semifinals against the Westminster Lions in Orange County, defeating the Lions 17-4.

All the players brought their best to the semifinals, especially captain senior Jasmine Huang and her mixed doubles partner, sophomore Brandon Zhou, winning two games for the Brahmas. Huang assisted the team by getting victories with her women’s doubles partner, freshman Claire Wang.

Players like junior Mirabelle Huang and freshman Connor Lam were also major contributors, claiming two points in both CIF games. Freshman Megan Lee and senior Crystal Wai remained un-

defeated in girls singles. In their final CIF team game, they defeated Arcadia, 15-6, winning them the champion title for the seventh year in a row.

Playing through a sprained ankle, Mirabelle was still able to perform perfectly with a game score of 4-0, giving her a clean record for the season. Zhou paired up with junior Daniel Huang and was able to beat the top seeded teams in the finals.

The Brahma players also competed in the Southern CIF Individuals tournament last week. Senior Ambrose So placed first in boys singles, having previously won two boys doubles championships.

Huang competed for her third consecutive championship with partner Lam, placing 1st in mixed doubles. Huang and Zhou also placed 4th in mixed doubles. The players played in the Southern California Individuals Tournament on May 19, competing for a championship title.

Three teams from girls doubles competed, including Wai and Lee, Wang and sophomore Woolim Kim, as well as senior Vanessa Do with senior Lucy Zhang. In boys doubles, Huang played with sophomore Owen Che in the tournament games.

“We lose quite of few seniors who have meant a lot to us, depending on who it is… They have put in four years of excellent work,” head coach Kemp Wells said.

a great, promising run until I let it go in the last couple holes to miss it by one, which cost me by the spot for the second round. I have next year to show my full potential in CIF” said Cho via text.

Though the Brahmas weren’t JOHNNY WANG able to advance in the CIF team asst. SPORTS EDITOR tournament, head coach Tony McCabe knows the Brahmas have Swinging into CIF, the Diamond more to come.

Bar High School boys golf earned “We had a great season, worked spots in individual divisions, and very hard, improved a lot from came in third in the team CIF tourthe year before and went as far as nament. was expected. We are on a pace to The team won its 10th consecbe even better next year,” McCabe utive league title with a score of said via email.

210-198 in the championship game After the team matches came played May 17 at Victoria Country to an end, Lu had no time to think Club in Riverside, against the Glenabout rest, quickly bouncing into dora Tartans. the individual CIF final at Rancho Sophomore Leo Lu was named San Marcos golf course. Lu shot a as the Palomares League MVP af82 on a par of 71, but was unable to ter an outstanding performance continue onto the next round. one over par for 36 holes to claim “I didn’t feel great about my the top spot in the league and a trip round today. I started with a tough to the second hole and didn’t CIF round. really take the Junior Samuopportunities “We had a great el Cho and sophthat were givseason, worked very omore Ethan en for me to Thomas finished bounce back. hard, improved a lot in the Top 6 and I had a couple from the year before earned first of shaky holes and went as far as Team All League which turned was expected,” Honors with out to cost me TONY MCCABE senior Thomas the round today.

Lee as an alterUnfortunately, nate to the catealthough the gory. course was very During their difficult and CIF team match held at Los Serwindy, I still had a great opporturanos, the Brahmas placed third nity to move onto the next round out of 18 teams in the tournament. and didn’t seize it. I look foward to The team scored 396 points, just 17 playing at a higher level next year strokes short of the second place and the challenges that come with spot for CIF. it,” Lu said.

Lu led the team with a score Cho and Thomas also competed of score of 77, closely following in CIF in the Central Individuals Cho and Thomas who each had 78 category. strokes each.

Coming right out of the tourna“Placing within top two was our ment, Lu plans to practice every goal since last year, and when it day in preparation for a better seawas time to give it our all, we let it son next year. go. Nevertheless, it’s a learning exThe Brahmas will be doing the perience for our team, and we know same, each member preparing for what to prepare for next year. I had their next chance for CIF next year.

Boys cool down at end of season BASEBALL After starting with a 5-2 record, the Brahmas were unable to continue winning ways.

Ryan lam ASST. Sports Editor Despite finishing the season with a losing record of 5-9-1, Diamond Bar High School’s varsity boys baseball team showed improvement, and slugged its way into winning four more league games than last season.

The Brahmas got off to a strong start, with a 5-2 record in their first seven games. However, their momentum slowed, as the boys went on to lose or tie the rest of their

league games, closing out their season with 4-3 and 7-0 losses against Claremont.

“We were definitely playing very hot at the beginning of the season and we cooled off a little bit. Some of the other teams in our league that are all very talented, got hot at the right times, and that’s what it came down to,” head coach Jon Hurst said.

Reflecting on the overall season, Hurst expresses his belief that the losses were an issue of momentum and less about athletic ability.

“I’m certainly happy with how we played, I would have liked for it to turn out a little better; I think that it was almost as though there was a domino effect at the end of the season and we couldn’t prevent it from taking place at a certain

AMELIE LEE

Senior Cruz Rivas struck out 21 batters during the regular season.

AMELIE LEE

Junior Aaron Duran steps up to the home plate ready to bat. point,” Hurst said.

One major takeaway from this season is that the team needs to focus more on individual players and positions, as this will lead to better chemistry and teamwork.

Coach Hurst was especially pleased with the progress of many individual players near the end of the season and credits his coaching staff for much of the team’s success.

“We have a great coaching staff right now, an outfield coach that’s been doing a great job, an infield coach that’s been working with me for three years, and he’s been incredible. It’s just changing the way we’re going to go about it a little bit,” Hurst said.

Sophomore shortstop Alonzo Fuller and senior second baseman

Fabian Moran continued to contribute to the team’s offense, both batting above a .300 at the end of the season. Moran lead the team with 13 runs batted in, and Fuller scored 15 runs, tying senior Kyle Rojas for most runs during this season .

With six of the senior pitchers leaving, there will be a big gap to fill for next season. However, Hurst expressed confidence in the three returning pitchers, juniors Sean Martin, Augie Calvera and John Chao.

“The pitchers leaving have a big impact on our team, but my bond with the other pitchers is really good. This season was very successful and we surprised a lot of teams. I’m confident I will do well with John and Augie,” Martin said.

JUSTIN PRAKAIPHETKPUL According to Merriam-Webster. com, a follower is defined as “one that imitates another.” If you look up the synonym to that word, the first result that would pop up is as follows: Justin Prakaiphetkul.

My freshman and sophomore years could be characterized by words such as inaction and indecisiveness. Although I made lifelong friends and established friendships with teachers such as Mr. Marquez, Mrs. Shen, Mrs. Gallardo, Mrs. Galindo, and Mr. Kottke, I was not able to find my niche as a Brahma in my first two years.

For those years, I simply followed in my friends’ steps, whether it be with classes or clubs.

During this time, I never looked to establish myself individually, in terms of finding something that I personally loved to do (besides watching the Lakers). That would all change on July 22, 2016.

On that fateful day, I still recall Mrs. Brummett telling me at my summer meeting that Photography was full. She then remarked that Journalism I was another class that I could use to fulfill my credits. After a bit of thought, I decided to enroll in the course.

To be honest, when I first entered room 563, I thought about dropping the class as I was the lone junior in a class that consisted of 11 students.

Luckily, I persevered through the first few days. I began to find my passion for journalism once the class size dropped down to seven students. Although I was definitely not the most outspoken, the interactions between the other students made me feel as though I was part of a close knit family.

The glue that put it all together was our advisor Mr. List. Through his sarcastic humor and guidance, he made me associate writing with the word “enjoyment,” something I never thought could be done. For the first time in my life, I felt comfortable sharing my thoughts to the class, as well as with a teacher.

I would continue to build upon my newfound confidence and identity in my senior year. On the Bull’s Eye, through the mentorship of Mr. List and my sports editor, Ryan Chae, I continued to grow not only as a writer, but also as an individual. As the ultimate introvert, I was able to slightly break out of my ironclad shell, in terms of interacting with those not in my immediate friend group.

Without these interactions, I never would’ve had the ability to engage in discussions about diverse topics with teachers such as Mr. Iwanaga.

What I will take away most from my time with the Bull’s Eye are the bonds I made and the fact that I finally pursued something that I enjoyed by myself.

With that said, I would like to thank Mr. List, my teachers and GLC, and all of my friends for molding me into who I am today.

JUSTIN PRAKAIPHETKPUL WAS ON STAFF FOR ONE YEAR AND WAS PREVIOUSLY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR.

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Senior tennis captain Nicholas Wong has spent a large portion of his high school career balancing two varsity sports.

AMELIE LEE

Senior Nicholas Wong was both a member of varsity tennis and soccer during his time at Diamond Bar High School.

Angela Yang NEWS Editor When senior Nicholas Wong wasn’t on the soccer field, he was serving up success on the tennis court.

Having played four years on the varsity tennis team, Wong led his teammates through his last season at Diamond Bar High School as a captain.

Finishing off his senior year as a three-year varsity soccer player on top of his role as tennis captain, Wong has been kept active throughout most of his time at DBHS. However, dedicating time to two sports on top of academics has not always been an easy task.

“My schedule throughout the

year is going to school, practicing for like two or three hours...go home, shower, eat and then just do my homework for the rest of my night,” Wong said. “That’s what I’ve had to do for four years, it’s hard grinding it out.”

Wong first discovered a passion for tennis when he attended a training clinic at age 12.

“My dad, who used to play tennis, asked me if I wanted to play. So he took me out and coached me,” Wong said.

His said his love for the sport stems from the notion that it’s not only a physically challenging activity, but mentally taxing as well. Every game requires a player’s head to be fully in the moment, ready to strategize and react with speed.

“The game is not necessarily

beating your opponent but making sure you don’t beat yourself, just making sure that you stay in it and you never give up,” Wong said. “It’s a really big thinking game; that’s always fun.”

He also appreciates the contrast between his two sports, enjoying tennis partially for its differences from soccer. When the racket’s in hand, Wong plays individually and on a smaller court.

“His mature demeanor, progressive attitude, and work ethic have been key factors at the core of our team. Not to mention his results: MVP doubles with Royce as a junior, all league as a senior, and Ojai CIF tournament entrant two years in a row,” head tennis coach Carl Flint said. “For good reasons he is well liked among team members,

so he has become a natural leader when it mattered most.”

According to Wong, his teammates played a major role in motivating him to keep training throughout the seasons.

“As a captain I want to lead them, I want to set an example and I want to motivate them and motivating them is a motivator for myself,” Wong said.

One of his most memorable moments playing tennis for the Brahmas takes him back to freshman year.

“My first year on varsity, I played doubles with another freshman at the time, Michael Tran, and we were having a very close match against Claremont. I remember we were at a tiebreaker and if we won the tiebreaker we won the whole

match,” Wong said. “Michael and I were down, but we came back and won the whole thing. That was my favorite memory, just knowing that we came back from behind, and because we won our whole team won.”

Aside from his athletic undertakings at school, Wong coaches for an annual tennis clinic during the summer as well. He also tutors and coaches on the side.

Attending UC Irvine in the fall, Wong does plan to keep up his favorite physical pastimes after graduation. However, he does not intend to join a college team, preferring to seek intramurals or clubs instead.

“In college I definitely want to keep these pursuits alive and have fun, stay in shape, not get freshman 15,” Wong said.